Reviews
Chuckanut Drive, self-released
By Kasey Anderson, What's Up Magazine
Steve Leslie proved himself to be a songwriter of much potential with last year's Juanita demo. With the release of their recent self-titled album, Leslie lives up to that potential with a solid set of reflective, mid-tempo ruminations on, above all else, love and booze. Leslie and his bandmates appear to embrace those four little words most bands despise: "they remind me of ..."
By turns clever and affecting, Leslie's songs always seem to strike a familiar chord, not because they're terribly derivative (they're not), but because he’s walking a well-traveled road. Hearts get broken, heads get dizzy, and the combination of the two seems to lend itself to Leslie's particular brand of lyricism. "If You Don't Think It's Right" sounds as though it could be one of the multitude of tunes Ryan Adams has written and discarded during the years, while the jangly pop nugget "Wildflower" borrows a bit from the Tweedy school of roots-rock songwriting. Mostly though, Chuckanut Drive recalls the Old 97's (Rhett Miller's band before he became a sheeny alt.pin-up). Both bands possess a willingness to wear their influences on their sleeves, while still managing to write engaging, original country rock, making it look (and sound) far less difficult than it is.
The biggest change in Chuckanut Drive since Juanita is the addition of Loren Huggins (Wastelanders) on lead guitar and backing vocals. Huggins gives the band the slight edge they were lacking, and contributes melodic, twangy fills and an uncanny understanding of timing. Simply put, he knows when to play and when to keep quiet – a rare and invaluable quality, and one Chuckanut Drive benefits greatly from.
So, one year removed from Juanita, Leslie and Co. have added an excellent guitarist and honed their songwriting, producing one of the more enjoyable releases this year. Not a bad year, I’d say.
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