Amidst all the hearsay and speculative swirl about a Black Crowes reunion, spin-off group the Magpie Salute unveils their second album, High Water II. The sophomore sequel recorded at the same time as 2018’s High Water I asserts a roots-based, Americana feel within a Black Crowes-flavored framework — perfectly apt when you consider the lineage. There are a few deviations here and there, inventive and alluring enough to draw you in — if you’re so willing. Simply put, where High Water I begins, High Water II continues in the same glorious vain.
Opener “Sooner Or Later” comes out swinging, its jagged rhythm and singer John Hogg’s punchy vocal really pulls you in. A cross between Chris Robinson and Steven Tyler, Hogg proves to be the perfect foil to both guitarists, Rich Robinson and Marc Ford, while the rest of the band — bassist Sven Pipien, drummer Joe Magistro, and keyboardist Matt Slocum — falls in at each and every interval to move the music forward. If you love everything about the Black Crowes, it’s only natural to feel the same about the Magpie Salute.
Certainly “Gimme Something,” “Leave It Behind,” “Turn It Around,” and “Doesn’t Really Matter” pack enough soulful mojo to keep raunch real. Where the album transcends the labels is on the more even-tempered material. The acoustically based “You and I,” “Mother Storm” and “Lost Boy” facilitate a pure aesthetic to the southern blues influence that spills into each and every crevice of this record.
It’s really when Marc Ford takes the reins, with assistance from none other than Allison Krauss on violin and backing vocals, on the lofty, Band-inspired “Lost Man,” that Magpie Salute clears the path for a stake of its own. If you can’t find comfort in Ford’s Pettyesque vocals during these troubled times, then seek help from your nearest therapist. Maybe that’s why the source of beauty on both High Water volumes is found in its simplicity, nicely wrapped around inviting melodies and arrangements that fit snug like an old coat.
It’s only too easy to absorb the positive vibes of “In Here,” where Robinson and Hogg share the vocal and work in a brass section to lift the chorus, or fall head over heels for the sly, inelegance of the jangly “Life Is A Landslide.” Ultimately, with High Water II in the marketplace, the “whole journey,” as Rich Robinson puts it, is seemingly complete. Which begs the inevitable question at this particular juncture: What’s next?
~ Shawn Perry
