Lewisburg’s Rust Kings deliver the grit with ‘Lo Fi Heartache’
THE CD: Rust Kings
PERFORMER: “Lo Fi Heartache” (Mudbone Records)
They’re a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll and not exactly either… Lewisburg’s own Rust Kings deliver a nice little album of Americana grit.
This is roots music with the band’s roots pretty well exposed — a little Lucinda Williams here, a little bit of the Band there and heaping helping of early, pre-electric Bob Dylan.
From start to finish, Jeanne Hoffman, Allan Sizemore and assembled company go through a collection of songs infused with the same Southern gothic guitar twang that bands like R.E.M. refined and pretty much trademarked about 25 years ago. What “Lo Fi Heartache” does is revist and remember what wasn’t quite ready for anything but college radio play then — and is almost genuinely underground now.
It’s not a perfect album. Bright spots include “High Time.” “Empty Broken Tow” and “The Only Sound I Hear.” “Isabel is something of a Southern rock stinker and seems a bit out of place with the rest of the songs.
Don’t bother the people at FYE on this one. All they’ll do is stare at you like you’ve got lobsters crawling out of your ears. These guys are local. If you want to hear this, you’ll have to buy local or get it off the web at: www.rustkings.com.
— By Bill Lynch
