Carbon Leaf is a band that doesn't get the recognition that they deserve. Musically they are multi-talented. Five members play a combination of 17 instruments on their new album, "Indian Summer."
The Vanguard Records release proves to listeners the extent of their talent, picking a variety of instruments any music lover would enjoy.
The opening track, "Life Less Ordinary," is by far the best song. Smooth guitars and an echoing bass introduce the album's mellow rock.
Carbon Leaf's genre is a mix between bluegrass and mellow rock music, sounding like a combination of moe., Phish and The Soggy Bottom Boys; truly a unique brand of music intertwined with intelligent, image-creating lyrics.
Barry Privett's lyrics are very deep in meaning, and seem to reach beyond the realms of most modern rock bands. These lyrics have more heart in them than most country music softies.
"Grey Sky Eyes" is one of these songs, revealing a combination of percussion and twanging mandolins, as well as Jordan Medas's electric bass.
Without a doubt, one of the most fascinating musicians within the band is Carter Gravatt. On top of singing, he plays the acoustic and electric mandolins, acoustic and electric guitars, 12-string guitar, the lap steel, a bouzouki, and programs loops and effects. This sort of thorough musical proficiency deserves instantaneous respect, as it's less prominent in today's mainstream fare.
The band probably laughs at the thought that most teeny-bopper pop singers can't even write their own lyrics, let alone play one of those instruments.
The album ends with a seven minute-long track entitled "The Sea." The surreal vocals convey many underlying meanings in the song. Carbon Leaf definitely has a future when it comes to music, but it seems like they were born in the past.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
