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I’ve long been a fan of Austin’s the Gourds, who more than just about any other contemporary act have channeled the broad Americana spirit that once made the Band such a potent force. Songwriters Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith have pretty disparate singing voices—Russell has a poetic, scruffy dog delivery loaded with naturalistic Texas drawl and Smith has a pinched yet appealing squawk—but the combination provides impressive range. I think they’re at their best when they’re writing serious songs like “Promenade,” a stunningly gorgeous ballad from their new record, Noble Creatures (Yep Roc), but they like playing the fool, too. In the late 90s they pulled off an unlikely transformation of the Snoop Dogg classic “Gin and Juice,” turning it into a rootsy anthem, but sometimes their goofy sense of humor is a real liability.
