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CD Review
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Daily Tar Heel, CD Review >>
By MELISSA BROWN
Country music devoid of cliches and tractor references still does exist, and The Wilders are out to prove it.
The band's latest release, Someone's Got to Pay, revolves around the experiences of band member Phil Wade's experience on the jury of a first-degree murder case.
He writes in the album's liner notes that it was an old murder ballad come to life. But what listeners will hear is a poignant dose of reality and loss.
The band makes these life lessons upbeat and energetic in the loud, fiddle-oriented tune "Rock the Woods" and heartbreakingly real in the title song, when lead singer Ike Shelton sorrowfully sings, "I don't know which is worse/To hurt the one you love or to love the one you've hurt."
But while each song evokes some kind of emotion, the 20-song album would have been much stronger if it had been shorter.
There's only so much feeling a listener can take before those emotions start to become overly familiar.
But the album is still consistently solid, ear-popping country.
And while it might be reminiscent of old-time country, it's not just for your grandparents.
3.5 stars
04/10/08 >> go there
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