Vancouver based singer-songwriter Rodney DeCroo shows off two sides of his personality on his new double CD set “Queen Mary Trash.”
DeCroo has a distinctive voice and a knack for writing really dark, authentic, rock edged country music about tormented travelers along life’s long road, “twisted idiots,” lost souls and ne’er do wells.
The first CD is a softer affair with the exception of one country rocker, “River Boat.”
Throughout, he maintains a distinctive Neil Young meets Bob Dylan vocal timbre with a touch of Tom Petty as well as a Neil Youngish guitar solo or two like on “Night Field Again.”
He howls “I am your monster” on Minotaur, but there is something about this scruffy, dusty, ragged and doggy, angst filled mangy cur of a country “monster” that you just have to love. He can spit nails as well as he can howl a mournful melody.
Though the songs on the first disc are a lot slower than the songs on the second, they are no less tortured, spooky and almost ominous like “Underground, ” which is dark themed — really dark.
The second CD is also pretty tortured, but has a really cool ’60s garage rock feel throughout.
It begins with the upbeat rocker “Paris Spleen,” featuring some catchy organ and guitar.
“You Ain’t No One ” was a memorable highlight of DeCroo’s last show in Lethbridge and is a high point of the CD as he cries “You Ain’t Steve Earle, You Ain’t Neil Young, no-one’s going to write a book about you.”
“Elijah Come On” is another toe-tapping highlight as DeCroo snarls the line “You’re never going to learn, you’re never going to change.” As is “Sorrow on The Mountain,” an upbeat, almost southern rocker which is reminiscent of Cross Canadian Ragweed, lyrically. It even has a dual lead guitar solo from Kris Welch and Ryan Olszewski.
Carolyn Mark also provides some background harmonies.
“Loser and the Tennessee Girl” is a countryish murder ballad which is simultaneously and haunting thanks to eerie steel guitar.
“When The World Was Young,” is another on the second CD that really grows on me as it has an underlying punk sentiment amidst the laid back Bob Dylan folk rock feel. But because the lyrics are so intense, I would have appreciated a lyric sheet to follow along to and quell those “did he just say what I think he said” moments.
But the whole thing is something you just want to hear over and over again because you always seem to catch something new like clever lyric, a musical hit or organ in the background.
CD: Queen Mary Trash
Artist: Rodney DeCroo
Genre: country/folk
Record company: Northern Electric
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