Cures What Ails Ya, Ails What Cures Ya
5
By Mark Eremite
There are few things that make me as happy as a release by Alabama 3. They've gone through a few iterations with their sound, but it's all been an amalgamation of country, house, and gospel that I've found to be -- since their first album -- highly addictive. While sometimes their sound has been dark and light and goofy and introspective, it's never really strayed from that experimental core concept. While they have grown and changed over the years, they've also avoided completely reinventing the formula in the way that sometimes alienates fans.
This album was a huge shock at first, but then almost immediately was a huge joy. In this case, they've embraced their techno inspirations and basically created a house album where the songs not only meld into one another but also basically create a sort of sonic story from start to finish. It's rare for me to find an album that I like as a whole -- I generally cherry-pick my favorite tracks from each album -- but this is a record that I think is a solid five stars all the way through (so rare!), not just because each song is excellent, but because they way they merge is equally impressive. Heck, they've even stuck in little aural Easter eggs for their longtime fans (lyrical snippets here and there recall some of their earliest albums), making the experience enjoyable in a dizzying way, like having nostalgia for the present moment.
I'd like very much to go through each song and explain why I like them each so much, but that would wear all of us out. I'll just say that, although they definitely lean heavy on the electronic side of things, the production of every track is so intricate and layered that it rewards every new listen. Even better, this complexity makes the music accessible for nearly every mindset. A lot of music relies on you being in a certain mood when you listen to it; some albums just play better when you're feeling moody or playful or aggressive. This album has so many sonic ports that I've found it engaging no matter what mood I've been in. Sad. Angry. Hopeful. Silly. It's one of the few records I've ever heard that has rewarded me regardless of how I've approached it mentally, and that's saying a whole helluva lot.
I've enjoyed every Alabama 3 album they've ever made, but I'd be lying if I said I loved them all or thought they'd never made a bad song. This is the first album they've made that I've not only loved for its parts, but loved for its whole, and it has renewed my excitement to see what they do next.
Less Nashville, more techno, still incorrigible
4
By Baz Richard Reynolds
This band never lets me down; what I want is a great groove and that is something that bursts out of all their albums, including this one. Some of their other records are more interested in song craft, R & B / C & W roots and/or outlaw mythologising but this one is a essentially a techno collection that pulses with great dance grooves while still exhibiting something the band gets insufficient credit for, which is immaculate musical taste, in composition, production, instrumentation and vocal arrangement. Some might find this record to be over-produced, others might consider song writing to have taken a backseat to the all-conquering groove but I find it to be sonic ambrosia, like almost all their work. Is it one of their greatest albums? It doesn't compel me in quite the way that "Exile", "La Peste" and "Revolver Soul" do; it's less ambitious, less lyrical, less challenging and there isn't a stand-out song of the quality of, say, "Too Sick to Pray". It's a party record. But it's still witty, original, musical, eccentric and committed. I challenge you to sit still while listening to it. Play it loud and be grateful that these reprobates are still out there making such compelling music.
