The Coal Men: “Beauty Is A Moment”
Performer: The Coal Men
The CD: “Beauty Is A Moment”
Note: The Coal Men perform Thursday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. at Charleston’s The Empty Glass. The cover charge is $4.
Nashville’s The Coal Men serve up a huge slice of Americana Pie with their second full-length release, “Beauty Is A Moment.” Led by singer/guitarist Dave Coleman, this band manages to epitomize the best of Southern Rock without sinking to a redneck stereotype. This is sophisticated rock-tinged pop with a genuine regional flavor.
Coleman wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album, and they range from country to rock while maintaining a cohesive vision and style. A first-rate crew of musicians back up Coleman, including his rhythm section (who also provide backing vocals) Jason “Hitch” Hitchcock on bass and Dave Ray on drums. Additional musicians include Brian Setzer sideman Chris Frame on guitar and Jen Gunderman, whose keyboards and accordion add a great deal to the texture of this album.
The CD opens with the uptempo shuffle “Pretty Girls,” which sets the tone for the songs to follow. “Natural Wonder” stars as a lovely county ballad but veers back into rock territory for the chorus. It’s a great balance and it shows how well roots rock can work when it’s done well.
And “Beauty Is A Moment” is done very well. The production, by the band with Brian Carter, is crisp and perfectly serves the songs. It reminds me of the work of production whiz T Bone Burnett (Elvis Costello, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “O Brother Where Art Thou”).
Among the other notable tunes on the CD are “Outside Looking In” which manages to sound like early Beatles and Tom Petty at the same time. “Cleveland Sky” also recalls the work of Petty with a very pretty song that captures a moment almost like an aural snapshot. “Louisiana” is a a lovely post-Katrina meditation. A hint of Cajun accordion underscores the chorus: “God I miss Louisiana, the way it was before.”
Many of the songs on the CD do exactly what the title of the album suggests. They capture the beauty of a moment with deftly-crafted song-sketches that preserve an instant with a musical portrait. Coleman is definitely a songwriter to watch.
“Beauty Is A Moment” can be ordered directly from the bands website http://www.thecoalmen.com/ or you can purchase it at their live shows. The band will bring their act to the Empty Glass in Charleston on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 10 PM. The cover charge is $4. You can save five dollars off the cost of the CD at their live shows by printing out this coupon.
– By Rudy Panucci
January 15th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
[…] Last week was a good one for music here in town. On Thursday, I caught The Coal Men (above) at the Empty Glass. I’d reviewed their CD in The Gazz last week, and was really looking forward to seeing them in person. They did not disappoint. Then on Saturday, Mel and I observed the 18th anniversary of the day we met by indulging in a gourmet French meal at Cafe De Paris, and we got to hear a little bit of the world-class jazz from The Paris Project before we headed next door to check out Sean Richardson, Karen Allen and friends at Capitol Roasters. It was a great few days for live music in Charleston, with the events we attended, plus Chris Botti at the Clay Center on Friday, and my adopted nephews The Concept at the Blue Parrot Saturday night (we would’ve been there, too, but that would have made the night way too long). […]
April 24th, 2008 at 9:30 am
[…] LISTEN: “Louisiana” by The Coal Men” WEBSITE: www.thecoalmen.com The Coal Men come to the Empty Glass on May 3 (the name is a bit of a misnomer as there is one woman in the group) They will also be featured on the next “Radio Free Charleston” music and animation Web show. Here’s an advance taste of the group’s alt-country and roots rock sound, “Louisiana.” Also, a few months back, Rudy Panucci reviewed the latest Coal Men CD “Beauty Is a Moment,” which he described as “a huge slice of Americana Pie ,” and a band that “manages to epitomize the best of Southern Rock without sinking to a redneck stereotype. This is sophisticated rock-tinged pop with a genuine regional flavor.” Here’s the full review. […]