Brad Colerick 'Tucson' - Back 9

This album opens with Colerick’s cover of the title song, written by his friend David Plenn which Colerick first heard at a songwriter session. The track opens with a solo resophonic guitar before the full band joins in on a melodic roots travel song. This is a trailer for the story songs that follow and as on any journey there are different musical stops along the way. The country sounding opener gives way to some more acoustic ballads that feature dobro, mandolin and banjo over electric guitar and rhythm section. That mood continues through some of the following tracks such as Place of You, about the site of happier memories. That is what I Do and Late Winter Snow are songs that seek solace against darker thoughts of separation and dissolution. Brakeman’s Door takes a more bluegrass path and features April Verch on fiddle. Tragedy gets a little heavier as befits the song. While Roll On which closes the album bookends the album with another road song and again features the twanging guitar and pedal steel which give it a more pronounced country feel.

Verch is one of a number of guests which include Herb Pedersen, Dave Roe and Larry Marrs. They join featured players Ken Loggains on drums and producer Charlie White on numerous instruments including acoustic, electric and pedal steel guitars. The majority of the material is written by Colerick, who has a warm smooth voice that is effortlessly able to give the stories various tones. The assembled players do justice to them too, never getting in the way of the song. Recorded in a studio on Arkansas, other than one track done in California, the album has a openness that suggests that there was plenty of space and time to record.

This is solid album that covers different aspects of a general roots mood that shows Brad Colerick is an accomplished writer and singer who has delivered music that has potential to hit the spot for those who like their music free of too much grit and spit.