Red Idle Rejects — Room With A View

Is Red Idle really a place? Clearly it’s a state of mind, at least, and Red Idle Rejects captures its essence perfectly with their new album Room With A View. If there are any musical ancestors in the historic environs of Red Idle, it would be a song like Lennon-McCartney’s “Mother Nature’s Son” — a song that just sounds like it is a pleasure for the musician to play. Such is the temperament that echoes in its ring, and such is the effect on Room With A View. Each note is played with purpose and understanding, and the musicianship shines as brightly as the music.

The prose here is as powerful as the poetry of the music. Each track is a story, sometimes a novella, full of original and unexpected perspectives that float on entirely appealing country and rock pages. Strange as it seems, these tales of truth, while appearing full of despair, are full of hope. Just one of the many surprises that await the listener. Altogether, while seeming at first listen to be a collection of disparate ideas and approaches, the breadth of the material — and its consistent authenticity — creates a cohesive experience, unswerving in its achievement.

As good as they sound on CD, I suspect that the real payoff arrives from hearing Red Idle Rejects live. There is an energy in these songs that is reciprocal; the more attention you pay to the details, vocally and instrumentally, the greater the experience. Given that, I bet Red Idle Rejects are astounding in concert.

Musically, Red Idle Rejects are free spirits. There is a flexibility throughout the album that allows each song to fully realize its tone and message. Thus, it becomes one of those rewarding listening experiences that grab your ears from the first electric guitar throat-clearing and doesn’t let go until the last goodnight note plucked out acoustically. Red Idle Rejects, indeed… all day long, sitting, singing songs for everyone. Who would reject such artistry? Investigate and enjoy.