|
 |
Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers
Songs in the Night
Campus Correspondent CD Review By Chad Comello,
North Central College
Songs in the Night (Ramseur) is the first full-length album from newcomers Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers. And like the pilot episode of a new television show, Songs in the Night is probably not as good as the show will eventually become.
Crain’s vocal style is a mix of Ani DiFranco and Ingrid Michaelson and her music straddles a similar divide between pop and country-folk. The album itself sounds very low-fi. Sometimes this can make a band more appealing, more raw and ready. The low fidelity of Songs in the Night, however, keeps the listener at a distance, and honestly, a little bored. It is easy to imagine seeing Crain and the Midnight Shivers playing a show in a dark and dirty club; the problem is—based on this album—they wouldn’t command one’s attention for long.
The album reflects this: things start out fine with “Rising Sun” and the rockabilly-tinged title track, eventually bopping along to the stand-out track “Get the Fever Out.” But then things start to blur together as it goes along—so much so that the 37 minutes of the album feels a lot longer. To be fair, it’s not trying to be a rollicking country western album, so if you’re looking for something to get you through a nighttime road trip, try Songs in the Night. Let’s just hope that you don’t fall asleep at the wheel.
|
