Found a copy of Split Lip Rayfield's 'Never Make It Home' that changed my mind about bluegrass

I picked up this album at a used store in Portland for 3 bucks last summer. Everyone I talked to said this Kansas band was just a novelty act with the one-string guitar and the fuel tank bass. But I threw it on during a long drive and man, the songwriting hits way harder than I expected. The track 'Kiss of Death' has this raw energy that most polished bluegrass stuff completely misses. I learned not to trust the gatekeepers who dismiss something just because the setup looks goofy. Have any of you given this album a fair shot or did you write it off too?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan1518d ago

Man I gotta disagree hard on this one. I picked up the same album a few years back and honestly it just sounded like a joke that went on too long. The whole "one string guitar" thing gets old after about 30 seconds and the vocal harmonies are rough at best. Kiss of Death has that energy but so does a car crash. If you want raw bluegrass energy listen to early Old Crow Medicine Show or even some Trampled by Turtles. This band is more about the gimmick than the craft. I gave it three full spins and still couldn't tell you a single melody that stuck.

theawest8d ago

Did you ever try listening to it while cooking something complicated? I had a friend who swore by this album as the perfect soundtrack for making chili from scratch, and I gotta say he was dead wrong. Three pots on the stove, beans everywhere, and the whole time I'm just standing there wondering if the singer's voice cracked or if that was part of the song. I ended up burning the onions because I was trying to figure out if there was actually a melody buried in there somewhere. My chili turned out fine but I still can't tell you a single thing about that album except that it made me question my friend's judgment on both music and cooking. So I'm with you on this one, even if I came to it through a different kind of mess.