Stone Wash Red

In the thirteen tracks of Stone Wash Red, Bev Wasserman Band paints a musical picture in the new language of Indie Rock. Peel back the album's cool digipak cover and you will be blown away by it's syncopated rhythm and the powerful vocals of lead singer Bev Wasserman on the opening track, Who Will Comfort Me. And just when you start bouncing to the beat, the haunting, resonant harp lines of Bruce Wasserman fade up and bring the song to an almost fevered state. Not to be outdone by the strong opening, the album's second song, Turn On Your Love Light, will absolutely rock your sensibilities and have you playing track two over and over again, holding your breath at it's perfect breaks and rolling to it's scorching beat. I Want You Back, the Band's rendition of a Jackson 5 song, will bring you back to earth in a delightful way. Bev sings her heart out in this cool twist on an old favorite, backboned by Bruce's upright bass in harmony with Chris Sheafor's perfectly played guitar licks. Showcasing their broad range in abilities, the band pulls out another stop in their performance of Did Trouble Me, with bowed bass lines and harmonica setting off the song's seriously thoughtful lyrics. Remember Hit The Road Jack? You've never heard it done like this before! The interplay between Bev and Bruce in the song's lines, with Bev's authoritative voice and Bruce's pleading singing, lays the boundaries in this delightful arrangement. Jimmie Davis's You Are My Sunshine has never been performed better that in Bev Wasserman Band's original version. Bass-led lines coupled with Chris's haunting guitar played on a 1959 Danelectro Convertible are simply stunning. In track number seven, Bev absolutely nails the historic Saint Louis Blues, but then... as a native of Saint Louis, would you expect anything less? The band performs a delightful rendition of this classic piece. If Stone Wash Red proves anything, it is Bev Wasserman Band's ability to recast old favorites in new Indie Rock clothes, and the Band's rendition of Willie Dixon's Hoochie Coochie Man is no exception. It showcases Bruce's abilities on both Guitar and as a blues harp man, and The Crying Ground lays out plain as day Chris's impeccable guitar abilities while once again showcasing Bev's vocal range and tonal depth. That the Band loves taking the opportunity to change how listeners think about traditional music is evidenced once more in their haunting rendition of the old Spiritual, Wade in the Water, featuring Bruce's vocals and Bev's harmonies, and laying out harp, bass and guitar like gold and silver jewelry on display at a street fair. Shine On encourages listeners in this rocking version of a bluegrass song, while Don't Wait Too Long, once a traditional Jazz song, has been restructured in the Band's low calorie arrangement that brings Bev's amazing voice to the head of the class for all to hear. The album's final track, Rain Cloud, is so masterfully arranged and performed that you will search for the replay button to listen to it over and over, forming the perfect ending for Stone Wash Red's subtly interwoven story played out through it's thirteen well-selected tracks.