Album Review: The Grahams 'Glory Bound'

Friends since they were 7 and 9 respectively, Alyssa and Doug Graham have spent practically their entire lives together. Along the way they became The Grahams, an Americana duo who are set to release their second album, Glory Bound, on May 19th.  For this record, the couple rode the rails (literally) and ended up not only recording the album but a documentary, Rattle the Hocks, as well.

Produced by Wes Sharon, Glory Bound is one of those rare albums that from the first note of the first listen, you know you’re listening to something special. All twelve tracks, story songs really, were either written or co-written by the duo and perfectly capture the rhythm and momentum of life and the train system. Whether it is the title track, reminiscent of The Black Lillies with its harmonies, in which she lists her regrets or the bluesy, harmonica fueled “Gambling Girl” where she sings “I told you the first time I met you, there’s two things for sure in this world/You can’t ask a broken hearted boy to forget, can’t turn pills into pearls/And you can’t trust a gambling girl,” Alyssa’s vocals convey emotions sweet, sassy and straightforward with both an authenticity and familiarity.

The album gives you a feel for America whether it is the bluegrass, fiddle and pickin’ on overdrive urgency of “Kansas City” or the old western flair of “Griggstown” on which her vocals deliver “I might have been your girl once, but you’re never gonna be my man” assuredly and adamantly. “Borderland’s” accordion gives you the sense of being on a trail while the instrumentation in “The Spinner” has one rolling down the tracks to freedom while remembering home. “Where the crabgrass grows beneath your feet/Clothes line on the summer evening just killing time.”

The theme of family is found in “Blow Wind Blow” and “Mama.” The former with its slightly ominous Celtic fiddle, evokes feeling the “pull of memory” of family members now gone, while the latter’s southern gospel tinged melody (with tambourine!) is an ode to the woman who “walks with the grace of glory.” “The Wild One” conjures up The Band while romance can be found on both “Lay Me Down,” a soft romantic ballad, and “Biscuits.” The album concludes with the exuberant “Promised Land.”

If you’re looking for a listening experience that will fill your heart with happiness and good music, bind yourself to The Grahams and Glory Bound. Whatever your mode of transportation, don’t hesitate to join them on this journey. 

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