Anyone who knows me knows that I’m really drawn to bands that have excellent vocal harmonies and who utilize a variety of stringed instruments in their music. For this reason, I’m glad that Buffalo Rose fell into my lap with their new EP release, Rabbit. Buffalo Rose was recently awarded the Overall Grand Prize at the 18th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards, and they’ve collaborated with Grammy winning folk legend, Tom Paxton, on their new EP.
Buffalo Rose’s lineup of Lucy Clabby (vocals), Margot Jezerc (vocals), Bryce Rabideau (mandolin), Malcolm Inglis (dobro), Jason Rafalak (upright bass), and Shane McLaughlin (guitar, vocals) hale from Pittsburgh. Together they create a wonderful sound that touches on a variety of techniques, styles and genres.
Rabbit starts out strong with “Runaway.” Infectious strings slowly build alongside vocals until the song erupts into full harmonies with layers of underscore. This song combines bluesy jazz sounds with a bluegrass undertone.
Track two brings us into “Green Light,” which takes on a full blues persona, along the lines of Lake Street Dive or The California Honeydrops. I dig the soul that the ladies deliver with the vocals in this tune.
“I Give You The Morning” gives me heavy Joni Mitchell & The Wailin’ Jennys vibes. It’s the closest to a ballad that the album has to offer. This song also lets you get a solo moment with collaborator, Tom Paxton.
The EP wraps with “Jennifer’s Rabbit,” which oozes vibes of a sea shanty or Irish-style story song. The tempo takes you up and down and all around. It’s really a lot of fun!
Overall, this is a solid EP release that left me wanting more. This is definitely worth putting into your listening rotation, and I can’t wait to hear more from this band! They’ll definitely be making their way into my rotation more often now. Check out the EP below on Spotify:
The Indy Review 