Honey Island Swamp Band — ‘Demolition Day’

Label: Ruf Records

Honey Island Swamp Band has just released its fourth full-length studio album, Demolition Day. It was produced, with great sensitivity to what makes the band unique, by Luther Dickinson and it is a throughly enriching listening experience.

Named after a swamp that lies near the border of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Honey Island Swamp Band floats a sound that represents the best of the bayou and the delta. Sometimes labeled “Bayou Americana,” the group’s music is a mix of blues, soul, country, R&B, and the rhythms of the fertile musical region.

The band consists of Aaron Wilkinson (guitar, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), Chris Mulé  (guitar, vocals), Sam Price (bass, vocals), and Garland Paul (drums, vocals), and Trevor Brooks (organ, keyboards). The range of sounds they produce seem to encompass the totality of the human experience. What’s most interesting is how they render each musical emotion in such seductive ways. These are story songs that captivate and enfold the listener; to encounter them is to ultimately understand them on a fundamental level. They’re that musically true to what they describe.

Essential Downloads: “Medicated,” “Katie,” “She Goes Crazy.”

To preview or purchase this album on iTunes, click here.