The Magpie Salute Carry On With Powerhouse Rock Via ‘High Water II’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

The Magpie Salute’s High Water II is a powerhouse rock and roll record. But its prevailing volume is only part of what makes it a mirror image of its predecessor. The album’s high-decibel impact is all the more remarkable because it is NOT the result of the road work the group conducted subsequent to the 2018 debut release. Rather, this sophomore LP was recorded in Nashville at the same time and, as such, it’s a tribute to the vision of founder/bandleader/producer Rich Robinson: the two works are of a piece, while each still stands as a statement unto itself.

II is particularly distinctive because, while the sound of the Salute here, as on the prior record, echoes the sound of the Black Crowes, those influences are decidedly less overt. In fact, the most obvious instances, foreshadowed by “A Mirror,” appear near the end of twelve tracks. The versatility of this band goes on display first, with full-throated vocal harmonies featured at the outset, in early numbers like “Leave It All Behind,” along with the bright ring of Matt Slocum’s acoustic piano, not to mention the nimble hammering of drummer Joe Magistr). 

By the end of that latter tune, lead singer John Hogg has fully distinguished himself too. The expatriate Brit vocalist sings as hard as he can, yet he does so without affectation, bringing a passion to “Mother Storm” that exceeds the eloquence of the words (perhaps explaining the omission of printed lyrics inside the digi-pak in favor of the array of stage photos). But the rasp in his voice finds a complement in the blend of acoustic and electric textures elsewhere within High Water II, including, but hardly limited to, the electric blues closer. “Where Is This Place.” 

If the sound mix of this LP is somewhat less sharp than High Water, the sense of purpose remains clear and unmistakable. As a result, the sextet can seamlessly incorporate guest artists, such as

Alison Krauss—she adds fiddle but, more importantly, background vocals on “Lost Boy”– while Matt Holland supplies the horn on “In Here.” Both those songs appeared on a three-cut EP released in advance of this long-player, but here become integrated into this song sequence through the understatement of the arrangements. The acoustic bottleneck on “You And I” thus becomes a further extension of those earthy roots-oriented sounds.  

Sven Pipien provides supple underpinning with his bass there too, while the latter-day Crowe’s background singing also lends to the familiar air of “Turn It Around” And “Doesn’t Really Matter.” Not surprisingly, though, it’s the electric guitars of Robinson and another erstwhile Crowe, Marc Ford, that render those cuts so readily-identifiable: the alternately clean and distorted lines that echo back and forth between the two are the result of a natural chemistry well-honed over time and the intuitive musicianship from the rest of the ensemble isn’t much less unified throughout High Water II. 

There’s also an impending sense of closure in the homestretch of these forty-some minutes that imbues this Magpie Salute album with an even greater sense of logic. As a result, it’s not just a sequel to its counterpart, but an extension of that prior work as well as the live autobiography-in-song that is this group’s their eponymous debut.