This album has already been noticed by more people than The Devil Makes Three’s decade of earlier releases. Originally from Vermont, based in California, the trio’s new label hooked them up with Nashville producer Buddy Miller. Sure enough, Miller’s earthy guitar boosts “Hand Back Down” into as rambunctious a critique of religion as you’re likely to hear. Another impressive guest is the Preservation Hall Horns on “40 Days.” “Hallelu” ponders whether Jesus is coming: “He must be walking, he sure ain’t running.” Pulling back from rockabilly towards jug-band verve and applying dark humour to big problems makes this band a toe-tapping revelation.
This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2014.
