[rating=8.00]
An all star collective comprised of Will Kimbrough (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, Harmonica), Anthony Crawford (vocals, guitar, piano, violin), Grayson Capps (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Corky Hughes (guitar, pedal steel, bass) and Savana Lee (vocals, snare drums), Willie Sugarcapps offers up an excellent sophomore set in Paradise Right Here, a set of songs that stays true to the band’s communal origins. Birthed from a series of casual jam sessions, the music maintains an easy ambiance, one that affirms the loose bond originally instilled through those down home designs.
Credit producer Trina Shoemaker with maintaining the back porch feel that pervaded their well received 2013 eponymous debut, an effort that won them “Americana Album Of The Year” honors as accorded by the Independent Music Association. It’s little wonder; each of the individuals involved has prior credits and collaborations that include such luminaries as Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Kate Campbell, Dwight Yoakam, and Steve Winwood, to name but a few. From the supple balladry of “May We Love” and “Paradise Right Here” to the jangly ramble of “Find the Good” and “Magnolia Springs” — with the rootsy stirrings of “The Highway Breaks My Heart,” “Dreamer’s Sky” and “Fade Neighborhood” settling comfortably in-between — it’s an album that reflects well on all concerned.
Mostly though, Paradise Right Here comes across as an unassuming set of songs, all cloaked in rustic trappings and the gentle pluck of fiddles and strings. It fits into a comfortable Americana niche, one that ploughs closer to the roots than many of their like-minded contemporaries, but still puts the emphasis on mood as much as melody. That may not always ensure mainstream success, but it ought to earn them kudos in kind. If Paradise Right Here isn’t exactly all the title suggests, they’re still well positioned regardless.
