Time Will Tell BY Waterworks Junction

 

Time Will Tell

BY

Waterworks Junction

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have had a year of amazing growth in music reviewing, only this week alone I have Rock, Reggae, Solo Piano, New Age Pop and Jazz albums to write about, now I can add the genre of Americana to that list, I am truly becoming totally eclectic in my prose it seems. Today though I’m taking a journey out to the mid-west, something I did way back between 2005/10 for real, and along my side on these vast dusty freeways, is the vibrational mastery of the band Waterworks Junction and their latest album Time Will Tell.

Whilst on I:35 we used to listen to the radio change its various bands on our trip, the flowing textures of various country stations would past by into an afternoon haze of lonely Buffalos and Cowboy poetry. Here we start our musical voyage with the opening track and proud title piece Time Will Tell, after listening to this album several times I must admit it is quite addictive and I have to say that this is my personal favourite from the release, the tempo allows us to embrace change, to move at a fluent speed and its multi-instrumental nature an utter delight to enjoy, if ever there was a single waiting to happen then Time Will Tell is most certainly it.

Through backwater towns and vibrant cities we travel, and as we come across Something About You, a track that is as fresh as a Kansas sunrise in July. The vocals of Gab Howarth are outstanding and will continue to be throughout the entire album, and in part remind me of my old friend Holly Montgomery, the banjo and steady rhythm within the spine of this piece is something to revel in.

The crisp acoustic guitar that starts the next offering entitled River Of Hope, is a more traditional glance at the Americana styled gaze of loves lost and found, and under a red autumn sky life begins again, the piano and harmonica combine a delicious symbiosis of both blues and country, and it makes me want to reach for my harmonica instantly. Add to the weave the Gospel styled choir and we can now truly say we are hovering in the Deep South with a peaceful intent, and just to prove I listen to every second of an album before reviewing, I really appreciated the quiet and very gentle little acoustic coda at the end of this track.

This next offering takes me to a state I have been to several times and we can travel now on those West Texas Plains. The steady percussion, the dreamy slide guitar and acoustic combination sets the scene perfectly, as indeed does the original sounds of the train, with all this combined you have made it to the location vicariously through music, for fans of this style of song, you might liken this specific piece to one of the greatest bands of all time The Eagles and their song Peaceful Easy Feeling.

I Go Knockin' is a rousing little powerhouse of a piece that is utterly addictive and brings a little American folk into the mixture of musical mastery too, whilst tracks like Renew My Faith give us a song that has to be one of the most moving I have heard this year, note the harmonies, the imploring lyrics and that reflective minor mood created, this is a fine example of a quality song that also could easily be a single, or perhaps the last dance of the night?

So let’s take a break at Waterworks Junction, whilst in Ponca City Oklahoma I remember opening my window on a hot summer day and hearing the train horn, I watched for what seemed like ages as the train and its cars rolled by, here a similar event occurs, but one with a more energetic affect. This is a truly classy instrumental piece with some original life sounds contained within; its speed and intent are the most original of all moments combined with the trumpet and harmonica, that eventually gift us all a dancing a happy gig across those dusty plains.

Time to fire up the engine and put some more coal on this bonfire of passion and fervour, this can be found in the almost obsessive arrangement called ...And When You Fall. Whilst on tracks like The Promised Land, we can feel a real mixture of soul blues and even rock on this spirited piece, this should be another show piece track and one that the chorus that for some reason reminded me of Bon Jovi and their huge hit single Wanted Dead or Alive.

We move ever deeper into this fascinating album, and as we do so we come across a little Mike Ian magic with the song This I Do Not Know. The smooth performance and crafted duet vocals from both Howarth and Ian are something to take great pleasure in. Whilst the great driving creation with some stunning chord changes comes next and called I Know Not. The structure of this piece alone is sublime; I adore the drift from major to minor in the same way with which Christopher Cross did with his classic Ride with the Wind.

We can see the end of this musical rail road ahead now in the distance, but before we arrive at the buffers lets enjoy You Come And You Go, a song that has a delightfully paced beat, a vibrant violin and sumptuous vocals, this track has an addictive energy about its build and progression, but also a tempting and thoughtful reflective mood about its overall composition.

The soulful vocals of Gab Howarth can be heard on this the penultimate offering entitled The Best That I Can. Her voice has power, intensity, tenderness and a tone that is so simply heavenly to listen to, this last but one song gifts us a moment of contemplation before we complete the project with the last track called Whisper Your Name, this final creation is a summing up on the musical journey taken with the band, and simply the most perfect way with which to end this compilation of greatness.

Time Will Tell by Waterworks Junction certainly took me back a few years both emotionally and musically, those days of travelling the freeways and highways of the Midwest will always remain in my mind, and more importantly it is quality albums like the aforementioned Time Will Tell that will keep it there, this isn’t just a good album from the Americana genre, this is a superb release that actually crosses many genres.

So hats off right now must go to the following who contributed so much to this project in Rob Paparozzi and Billy Patterson on harmonica, Tamara DeMent Gillece on a sensual violin, the mood filled cello of Elizabeth Mendoza, Bob Ferguson and his scene setting trumpet, and of course Nick French on accordion and vox.

So please do yourself a favour right now by availing yourselves of a copy of this fantastic new album Time Will Tell by Waterworks Junction, a release that has in one stroke made the genre of Americana much more assessable to the entire globe, albums of this elk and quality don’t come around too often, so please and embrace that curiosity that lies within you and get a copy now!