Published on Jan 6, 2001
Alternative-country seems to be the “in” thing these days. Not
that I’m complaining; many of the bands who advocate this style I
have found to be quite enjoyable, and their style of music might
just open up alternative music fans’ ears to country (and vice
versa).
Soulhat is the latest band I’d place in this quickly-growing
category. Their latest disc,
Experiment On A Flat Plane, shows that their approach to
this genre (which includes a little more humor and a little more
focus on the alternative side) can not only work, but work
well.
Led by vocalist/guitarist Kevin McKinney, Soulhat plow through
12 such numbers (inclufing two shorter instrumental “bookends” on
the disc), keeping the listener interested and entertained at the
same time. Tracks like “Plastic,” “Mailbox” and “Cash” all will
make the listener wonder why Soulhat hasn’t become a bigger name
yet. (Who knows? That all could change with this album.)
But there’s plenty of light-hearted humor as well on
Experiment On A Flat Plane. Take “WNBA” for example –
possibly the first song around to mention the relatively-new
women’s basketball league. Our hero laments the loss of his
beloved, who has gone to play basketball – and it’s kind of funny
to hear him bemoaning the fact he can’t get free season tickets.
(The only drawback I could see is, because this song has the
strongest country roots, it might re-affirm the stereotype that
country music is all about heartbreak, drinking and cheating.)
Soulhat might have some twang to their music, but they also
don’t abandon their alternative rock roots, as heard on the more
experimental track “Microwave” – a track which is more bizarre than
I’d have expected, but is still intriguing nonetheless. If
anything, Soulhat should be commended for being willing to take
such risks in their music, especially a genre that is still in
development.
Alternative-country is a genre of music that is supposed to be
fun to listen to, and
Experiment On A Flat Plane meets these criteria. Something
tells me the best is yet to come from Soulhat, but until then, this
disc will do nicely, thank you very much.