Nashville is not all about country pop and traditional country and here is a proof for it. Little Bandit offers something unique. Their album Breakfast Alone has a symbolic title, as it pays homage to George Fox, Canadian country legend.
The band members are Alex Caress, Kevin Black, Luke Schneider, Eric Whitman and Ben Eyestone. The album is joined by background vocals and many string instrumentalists. The combination of instruments that are characteristic for country and then utilization of a more exotic ones resulted in an intriguing release that balances between country, honky-tonk, Korean pop and gospel. Yeah, you have heard it right! What an eclectic amalgam!
Yet, the most important thing is this is the album that plays with the typical perception of country as unserious music for outsiders who just want to have plain fun. The name of the band suggests that they are willing to shake things up. Breakfast Alone is a humorous collection about hometown, romance, tragic love. Everything is soaked in whiskey, as one would expect from even semi-country record. It seems like Alex Caress sings about people from Middle West how they are sitting in a bar lamenting over lost loves, evil women, their despair and alcohol as the ultimate consolation in life. Still, Alex’s writing shows substantial distance from classic country themes because he is trying to incorporate some queer moments. For example, the video for Bed of Bad Luck is everything but traditional country. This is a true country ballade, that’s for sure, but the subtext is unconventional. The background vocals are sung by Adi Victoria, another new country Americana force.
The album unfolds with humorous Platform Shoes in which Alex makes fun of romantic approach of singing to women in country shoes. Half-narrating, half-singing, Alex constructs a metaphor by comparing woman with a state, which reveals there is a political statement on Breakfast Alone as well. Similar political statements are to be heard on Sinking and Nashville. Drinkin At The Bar is mirthful and fun honky-tonk number about the light motif of country music. It sounds like it was written as a scenario for a short movie about Wild West. Ballades worth mention are Diana and Get Me Out Of It in which vocal sounds convincing. The closing track Money gives a final mark to the whole record with its concluding verse cause Jesus don’t care bout the price.
Breakfast Alone is another peculiar country release that questions country prejudices in a sarcastic fashion. Toot!
