Hello Reader,
Welcome back. How are you today?
In this review, we’re going to delve into The Whiskey Charmers. Carrie Shepard and Lawrence Daversa anchor the Detroit-based band. After listening to them, I’ll proudly say they are one of the best bands you’ve never heard of (yet), and if you already have, congratulations. You can’t get enough. Their music has been described as being part of various genres by various reviewers and writers over the years. From Americana to Country to Folk to everything in between like Country Noir and Dark Americana and other genres. Genres help one understand and relate but they’re easier to unfairly pigeonhole an artist and the genres will vary throughout an artist’s existence as they evolve. Let the listener, listen and form their own opinions. The Whiskey Charmers have won several Detroit Music Awards and Sony Entertainment chose to use their music in a bar scene in the video game “Detroit: Become Human” (2018) which has sold millions of copies and introduced their music to new fans.
It also inspired this dazzling song, “Human”
Daversa and Shepard have been crafting music together for more than a decade and they’ve released the following albums on their own label, Sweet Apple Pie Records: The Whiskey Charmers (2015), The Valley (2017), Lost On The Range (2020), On The Run (2022).
On May June 13th, The Whiskey Charmers released their fifth album, Streetlights via Sweet Apple Pie Records for your listening pleasure.
Giving credit where it’s due. Streetlights album credits:
- Carrie Shepard – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, tambourine on track 5, and wrote all of the songs.
- Lawrence Daversa – played electric guitars and sang harmony vocals.
- John Porter – played drums and percussion.
- Daniel Ozzie Andrews – played bass guitar.
- David Roof – played organ on track 11.
- William P. Davis – played theremin.
- Produced by The Whiskey Charmers.
- Engineered and mixed by David Roof at Rooftop Recording.
- Mastered at Terra Nova Mastering by Jerry Tubb.
And now for some hype for your ears!
The opening song on the album, setting the stage with the video for “There’s Black”:
(All credits and rights to The Whiskey Charmers)
It is ticking in “Time Bomb”:
(All credits and rights to The Whiskey Charmers)
The despair in “Don’t Mean Nothin'”:
(All credits and rights to The Whiskey Charmers)
Overall, Streetlights serves as another step forward for The Whiskey Charmers. They already have a solid list of acclaimed previous albums; and this might be their best work yet. Fans what say you? I think it is. Streetlights is another showcase of Shepard’s powerful vocal range, and one of a kind in the best ways, passionate delivery and tones. Her voice is her own and the humanity and emotiveness shine throughout each song. A voice that grabs ahold of you and you’d follow along to any project she undertook. Her lyrics and guitarwork help lay the foundation for the band. Which is then layered upon perfectly by Shepard, Daversa and Porter on drums and percussion, and occasionally by others like Andrews and Roof. This album is also another showcase for Daversa’s ability to play various melodies from song to song yet do so all skillfully and oftentimes with incredible guitar solos. He’s a talented musician on his own right and one that you’d go see a band just to hear and see him play. Luckily Daversa pairs so perfectly with Shepard as they create extraordinary music together. It’s amazing to witness and realize how well they pair together while you listen. I love how the band uses solos and harmonies to both create and enhance mood. The arrangements are perfect. For several songs within Streetlights the listener is transported out west. In other songs, it’s a different setting but consistently throughout this album, you’re within that setting, and feeling the emotions within the lyrics that have been created by a well-crafted narrative. The production level on the album is excellent.
“There’s Black” opens the album with a handful of seconds of beautiful guitar strumming followed by some lovely twang from Daversa on electric guitar and then Shepards vocal delivery that cuts you to your core. The tone is set and we’re all in this together now. The mood is elaborated onto with Porter’s staunch drumbeat and Daversa’s vocal harmonies further filling out the melodies. All three get their chance to shine individually with incredible solos. Daversa’s guitar wails and it’s the perfect complement to the lyrics, melody and vocals. The lyrics are longing and take you on a journey. One in which both the narrator and listener seem to learn from along the way before it ends without closure.
The next song “Streetlights” also begins with a brisk guitar strumming intro, this time a different chord progression, a bit faster than the previous song. Quickly joined by wails from Daversa’s guitar. It’s a gorgeous melody already. Shepard’s vocals follow next and once again they cut through the air, resonating with your brain as you listen to well-crafted lyrics recounting a tumultuous moment that needed to be escaped from. A few more wails from Daversa’s guitar are thrown in to really emotionally tie you to the song completely. Daversa’s vocal harmonies pair well with Shepards again and add good depth to the song.
“Whiskey, It Was Made For Drinking” opens with drums and electric guitar to establish the melody. Shepard’s vocals shine over the top of the skilled musicianship of Porter and Daversa. The lyrics at brief moments serve as an homage to Whiskey itself, but also tell a frustrated story, with contemplations. Daversa joins on vocal harmonies during the most downtrodden lines in the song, to further the destitute mood.
The twang of both the acoustic and electric guitar really stand out to me on “Black Ridge Cave” as do the harmonies. The harmonies between Shepard and Daversa are used to establish setting and feeling to the listener and once again are splendidly done. The lyrics seem to tell of an almost mythological figure from the American Wild West past who is set on vengeance after someone else took what mattered most from them and you end up rooting for this vigilante character.
“Sagebrush” has the arid feel to it that you’d expect from the title. The well-constructed melody, vocals and lyrics transport you to feeling like you’re within the regions where sagebrush is found in the US, such as the mountainous, dry, desert area of the Intermountain Region (the land between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada Range) and the Great Basin. The lyrics have a transient character that is content with their existence. There are less vocals in this song than previous ones but it’s the right amount and allows the melody to stand out even more. The excellent drumming from Porter and terrific guitar work from Daversa puts you in your own Western film.
The next song, “Little Green Man” is so inquisitive in nature. “Little Green Man” explores an outsider’s perspective as the lyrics ponder and gaze at the sky of planet Earth. Something most humans have done at least once, right? The song also examines thoughts, and emotions in a human way of understanding. Are they shared? The melody again is anchored by fantastic guitar and drum work, with each musician having moments to shine on their own and play off each other. That mood is further enhanced by Shepard’s gorgeous solo vocals and Daversa’s well placed harmonies. The song ends with a fitting outro of greetings and holding a guitar chord for a slow fade.
“Time Bomb” opens with Shepard’s and Daversa’s guitars going back and forth for a chord or three before they form a melody with the drum beat. Shepard delivers her vocals with some intentional weariness to match the lyrics and tone. Daversa provides a few lines of harmonies yet again, and yet again the harmonies add so much to the tone of the song. The lyrics are told with a present perspective of an exhausted person. I love Shepard’s brief but amused laugh after delivering the witty wordplay ‘Sleeping, underground, walking on a wire.’ in a song about a Bomb.
The next song, “Completely Blank” kicks off with a timeless sounding melody based on drum rolls from Porter, and some easygoing guitar twang and funk from Daversa. Shepard’s opening vocals are delivered in a manner that remind me of lounge singer, then her approach is changed as the song evolves. She gets to show off her vocal range throughout the song. There are some nice harmonies, and a melodic shift occurs as well. Most of the songs on this album showcase Daversa’s guitar work but to me, this one is an especially fine example of how talented he truly is. He works within the space vacated by vocals perfectly and is so complementary to Shepard. Andrews’ bass guitar sounds great, and there’s a few grooves from it. The lyrics are appreciative of a moment of calm, even if it gets interrupted by a line or two of anger and frustration.
“Don’t Mean Nothin’” tells a dispirited tale of someone in an unhappy relationship. This song is another example of Shepard’s ability to craft an outstanding song and provide vocals to match. Daversa plays some sad guitar notes that really enhance the atmosphere and heart-broken perspective of the song. Porter’s percussion is exactly what the song requires, steady and without fancy work.
I like to think that “New Song For Sale” is the follow up to a previous song on this album, perhaps “There’s Black” in that in continues the story narrative of a former relationship. This time turning it into song inspiration, and ultimately closure and catharsis. The song begins with Shepard’s powerful vocals and is soon joined by Daversa and Porter on drums and guitar to create a slow burning melody. Daversa adds backing vocals to create harmonies on the lyrics that describe how insignificant the other person is and was. A nice enhancement. Touche and kudos on this composition.
“Stars” is a song with an adventurous spirit. It yearns, it wants to explore the surroundings. The melody is grounded and fits the framework created. The drumming again is a slow burn, charging at times as Porter works his drumsticks around the kit but always appropriate within time. Daversa’s guitar is full of twang in this song and it pairs well with the mood as does Roof’s organ playing. Daversa joins the harmonies one final time in the closing seconds of the song and album. A fitting send off to end the album vocally together onto the next chapter.
Streetlights gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It truly is an excellent album that plays as a gorgeous from start to finish listening experience. To me, it definitely fits well within the 4.5 Scum Drop rating territory for all new albums in 2024, which would place it in the 84th-95th percentile based on our system. If you’re new, welcome and please see more here. As I’ve talked about a few times, I selectively choose what I want to review so we don’t publish subpar album reviews. There’s not much to dislike about this release, from the songwriting to the vocals to the lyrics to the musicianship and production, it’s an album everyone should listen to. I can’t recommend it and the band enough, make sure to add Streetlights to your collection on the format(s) of your choice. I’m hoping to hear Daversa and Shepard on vinyl someday.
Streetlights Track listing (song length)
- There’s Black (4:34)
- Streetlights (4:15)
- Whiskey, It Was Made For Drinking (2:48)
- Black Ridge Cave (4:47)
- Sagebrush (2:52)
- Little Green Man (3:59)
- Time Bomb (3:53)
- Completely Blank (2:39)
- Don’t Mean Nothin’ (3:01)
- New Song For Sale (3:21)
- Stars (4:17)
Total runtime: 42:26
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The process with Streetlights from start to finish two times will take you less an hour and a half. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
The Whiskey Charmers awesome website with their socials in the upper left-hand corner and menu categories including tour dates in the upper right is linked right here!
Like what you heard? They’re playing throughout Michigan and selected areas of Wisconsin in the coming months. Here’s a brief tour schedule of their scheduled shows in July and August. Check out The Whiskey Charmers!
July
7/4 Street Musique – Harbor Springs, MI
7/20 The Lucky Wolf – Paw Paw, MI
7/21 Pak’s Backyard – Port Austin, MI
7/25 The Whitney – Detroit, MI
August
8/1 Music in the Park – Mackinac Island, MI
8/2 Lake Ann Brewing – Lake Ann, MI
8/3 Gabriel Farms Winery – Petoskey, MI
8/8 Hoxeyville Music Festival – Hoxeyville, MI
8/14 Erickson Center for the Arts – Curtis, MI
8/15 Hop Garden Brewing – Paoli, WI
8/16 Alpine Inn – La Crosse, WI
8/17 Private Party – Webster, MN
8/31 Thumbfest – Lexington, MI
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
