Both Sides of the Line - Album Review: Party Line!
Five-piece alt pop country band Both Sides of the Line have
produced an album which is easy to listen to and a pleasure to experience, with
12 songs that tantalise you with smooth and vibrant tones, guided by gentle but
upbeat country rhythms and a sound that is earthy and real.
Opening with Hanging Out For Love your presented with bright and clean guitar licks and a sparkling vocal that guides the bright and melodious tune, it's kinda country and kinda folk, but it’s all good. Each track is more of the same in terms of it’s “folk meets country sound”, but each have a unique character with melodies that are very pleasant and sweet.
The smooth crooning of Glenda Rogers fill’s each track with a melodious charm, the clarity of her voice is so pure and crisp, while her tuneful singing dances wonderfully with the abundant guitar, bass and drum licks that are littered through each track.
The variety of instrumentation is delightful, like the chunky bass line and expressive melody of Forgotten Your Name and the wonderful 50’s pop sound of Turned Round, Upside Down. There is great rockabilly too with Johnny Was My Man, In My Motorcar and Rockabilly Queen loaded with plucky guitar and groovy rhythms.
A real yearning is conjured by the powerful track Willing To Sell My Soul which shows a more serious side to the otherwise fun pop style and subject matter of most tracks on the album.
The recordings on the album have a nice live quality, there is no overdone reverb or effects to be heard, and thus the album showcases a group dedicated to making music with heart, that’s down to earth and real, and sounds very good.
About Both Sides of the Line
The name Both Sides of the Line comes from a song by Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly, which along with country music, pop and jazz, has been a big influence on the song writing of Glenda and John. The band released their first EP, 5, in August, 2012. This was followed by a full-length album, Sideshow in 2013. Party Line! was released in 2016 and Dangerous! was released in September 2019
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