02/15/2015
Just finished listening to Andrew Sheppard Music's upcoming full length release - here is a little review.ENJOY!
A Review of “Far From Here”, First Full Length Album Release by Andrew Sheppard
Andrew Sheppard has come a long way since his days in the Gypsy River Haunts, not just musically but also in miles. In order to find inspiration for his new album, Sheppard bought a 1973 Gremlin, loaded up his life and dog Waylon, and headed for the highways of America. Like so many before him, he was looking for a sign of himself and what he is to become. This album is just a glimpse of a man who is starting to understand his path. With influences from the Grand Ole’ Opry in it’s heyday, to Johnny Cash and Neil Young, as well as Sheppard’s contemporaries and fellow Idaho natives Reckless Kelly - this album is rich with tradition while flowing with the sounds of a new day.
The album opens with “Get it While You Can” and the immediate reference to Neil Young’s harmonica is apparent. It is the perfect song to begin this musical journey as it reminds us of the past, keeps the present in perspective, and the future ahead. With the third song “So Much More”, Sheppard shows his growth into an artist and composer who knows his identity. He beckons back to a traditional country ballad while reaching new heights through haunting stretches of violin and lyrics speaking of the conscience that only a mother can instill in a son. With “Lucky One”, we are transported to the opening credits of a Quentin Tarantino film. Reverberating guitar and driving drums set the scene over a dusty road of lyrics before a wispy piano shows us through the carnival ride ending. Wishing to keep with his roots in Rockabilly while doing justice to Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, we find ourselves deep inside “Like Any Other Man”, and “This Ain’t a Bad Place (To Be At Your Worst)”. The title track, “Far From Here” gives us some insight into who Sheppard is and where he is heading as a musician. It’s feel is that of a classic love story with the protagonists looking to flee their mundane lives in the search of something more....freedom and the open road. His final part, “Piece of Me” shows the listener that Sheppard has more up his sleeve. This blues induced foot stomping melody cruises the airwaves and we are left wanting more.
Full of rich violin, smooth lap steel, ragtime piano, and traditional appalachian tricks, “Far From Here” rolls decades of influence into 11 tracks. Though it may not be a huge jump from his previous work, this album shows what Sheppard is capable of being - a polished artist and composer living well within the vein of traditional country in a non-traditional time.
