The Charleston, SC duo Shovels & Rope caused quite a frenzy among critics jumping over each other to praise their 2012 debut. I can only imagine the chorus of approval that will meet the even stronger Swimmin’ Time.
The husband and wife team of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst deliver one of the best alt country/folk albums of the year with this album, a nearly flawless collection of often dark, stripped down swamp romps.
The tracks delicious gloomy “Evil” and rollicking piano-heavy “Coping Mechanism” are probably the finest in this stellar collection. It’s a toss-up as to the most exciting elements of their music: the beautifully haunting male/female harmonies or the better-than-most-novels story telling. Regardless the band has created an Americana album that will surely find appeal beyond its genre.
Shovels & Rope – Swimmin’ Time/13 tracks/Dualtone/2014
