SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE RED CLAY STRAYS – LIVE AT THE RYMAN

THE RED CLAY STRAYS
LIVE AT THE RYMAN
RCA RECORDS

Whether you’re looking to supply good music for a dance session at a country bar, or for a song that will draw out the hopeless romantic in you, Live At The Ryman has it. This collection of The Red Clay Strays’ songs from their various albums are brought together through live recordings that offer an intimacy which pre-recorded ones cannot.

Aside from the typical one-sided conversation that occurs between fans and band members during a show, the music truly offers an authenticity that comes from the songs themselves rather than the commentary in between each track. There is such a range of emotion within this album, whether it be energetic and toe-tapping with songs like “Ramblin’”, or heartachy with songs like “Wanna Be Loved” and “I’m Still Fine”. In the latter two, the vocals showcase a great deal of passion, evident from how a voice is capable of controlling a certain wobble on longer notes, yet also being able to belt with a rasp that feels warm and familiar on others.

The switch in pace from song to song is beneficial in the sense that there is never too much of the same thing. In other words, one can go from dancing until their feet are numb to drifting off into nothingness from one song to the next. “Will The Lord Remember Me” embodies these two sides of the album in one song, both energy levels fighting for attention. It is quite captivating. It is also fairly needed, as the balance between these two extremes seems to falter, leaning more heavily toward the slower and softer side of things. Thus, this song is the perfect means to kick it up a notch just before the high is consumed by the low.

Live At The Ryman offers so much more than a glimpse into a live show; it offers the chance to feel a plethora of emotions, and to be able to relive those feelings all over again. Every song clearly comes from the heart, and while it may appear that the heart is taking over, the balance that exists within this album is hardly disturbed. The Red Clay Strays have brought forth a candid collection that is faithfully authentic to their style and to their listeners.

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