This debut album offers cast iron proof that you may not be able to drink away your sorrows but you sure as hell can sing about them.
The dozen bleak and gritty songs draw from harsh experience with one being based on Ambrose Bierce's short story An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge.
The first three tracks establish the dark mood, beginning with the aching lament and weeping harmonica of Bar Tabs, where the singer muses resignedly "Sometimes love just ain't enough -she's gone".
The tears continue on Cry For Me as "broken hearts and banjo strings fill my head with bitter things" and these can't be stemmed by Sweet Red Wine.
The worried mind blues of Abigail only adds to the sense of longing and loss: "What else can I drink or take to get you off my mind".
The hollerin' duo responsible for these harsh tunes are Chris Porter (guitar, dobro) and Helen Gassenheimer (fiddle) from Birmingham, Alabama with Eric Ominus as the bassist in tow.
The gravel-voiced Porter takes on lead vocals except for the doom laden title track where his duet with Gassenheimer is also the album's highlight. This begs the question why she is confined to harmony vocals on the other tracks.
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The relentless heavy load of Purple Hearts and the brooding Nebraska style Cottonmouth add to the sobering message contained in Pills And Kerosene that, in this life, we just have to endure with "no God to damn and no God to thank".
There's no doubting this record's authenticity although the final track, Chords Are Always The Same, acknowledges its weakness in that there's something grindingly repetitive about this philosophy.
I wouldn't expect the consolation of salvation but some black humour to lighten the mood would have been welcome.
Some Dark Holler's blog
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