Moonsville Collective is one of those bands that listeners simply can’t help but enjoy and embrace. They have a lot going for them — riveting arrangements, impeccable harmonies, and songs that flesh out their feelings without ever sacrificing the inherent expression that provides an inherent allure. With their new album on Rock Ridge Records — and fourth effort to date — A Hundred Highways, those elements all come into play, resulting in a set of songs that has the kind of emphatic appeal which makes repeated listens all but inevitable.
Part of the reason for their symmetry can be attributed to the fact that two members of the band are father and son — those being dobro player Dan Richardson and upright bassist Seth Richardson, respectively. The remainder of the group consists of vocalist and guitarist Corey Adams, mandolin player Matthew McQueen, and Phil Glenn on fiddle and vocals. So too, each composition is collectively credited to the band as a whole, hardly a surprise considering the fact that all the musicians contribute equally in the the arrangements. The rousing instrumental, Mission Control, is one obvious example, but the sweeping fiddle that emulates a classical violin on Long Gone, the celebratory sound of Helen Highway, and the emphatic approach taken on You Go Your Way, offer ample evidence of Moonsville Collective’s cohesive capabilities.
They demonstrate those astute abilities in other ways as well, especially when it comes to shifting their stance for the sake of creating a varied emotional imprint. The upbeat album opener, Ain’t Got A Home, and the wobbly down home delivery of I Like Drinking Beer, find the band in a decidedly giddy state of mind, a complete contrast in terms of the tone and treatment given the spare and solitary Done Wrong, and the melancholy mindset suggested by Don’t Know Why. Likewise, a take on Leadbelly’s Relax Your Mind ends the album with the ease and assurance that song title typically suggests.
A Hundred Highways reflects the fact that Moonville Collective has traversed a wide expanse of terrain to get to the point where they are now. Clearly, they’re still driving that distance with ease.
