The opener "Highway Song" careens from side-to-side like an old jalopy pick-up truck rumbling down a dirt concession road. "Away" delivers a similar punch with a sharper hook.
Classic rock is an influence on the album as well. Blues guitar pushes "Troubled Mind" along behind the near-Jim Morrison vocal growl of singer Ross Lizotte. "St. James Infirmary" is a re-write of "House Of The Rising Sun".
The strongest songwriting comes on "Open Heart". It's a Nick Cave-type story accompanied by an arrangement that simply won't let you catch your breath.
The record closes with the 21-minute multi-movement psychedelic opus "The Changing Suite". Although it tests the limits of the listener's patience at time, the instrumental is like a bleek post-apocalyptic roots rock version of Sonic Youth's "The Diamond Sea".
Despite a closer that you'll likely tune out, the album does provide an EPs worth of excellent rock, folk, roots, and psychedelic melange.
Best tracks: "Highway Song", "Away"
Track listing for Folk N' Roll:
- Highway Song
- Troubled Mind
- Away
- Open Heart
- St. James Infirmary
- The Changing Suite
6.5/10
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