McCloskey Brothers Band
The McCloskey Brothers Band

(Sunny on Top)

First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2002, Volume 9, #4

Written by John Metzger

Following closely on the heels of fellow Colorado bands Leftover Salmon and String Cheese Incident comes the self-titled debut from The McCloskey Brothers Band. Like their predecessors, the McCloskeys merge hippie rock with a heavy dose of mountain music, but unlike their predecessors, they avoid a lot of the silliness that plagued the other bands’ earliest projects.

Nevertheless, The McCloskey Brothers Band has quite a ways to go before anyone hails it as a "must-see" ensemble — at least based on its debut. The problem with the album is that it ultimately sounds generic and bland. For all the close-knit harmonies and intertwining of banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, the group can’t seem to construct a melody that comes anywhere close to being engaging. Occasionally, there are flashes of instrumental brilliance, but these vanish as quickly as they appear.

For what it’s worth, The McCloskey Brothers Band has captured the attention of bluegrass legends Sam Bush and Tony Furtado, who perhaps see in the group early shades of themselves. While that may be true, it still doesn’t keep the band’s debut from being anything other than pleasing background music.

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2002 The Music Box