The Waifs have always been a fantastic roots/rock band, but the albums have never quite lived up to the live shows, but this new disc feels a little ‘looser’ than the previous studio discs and it’s a much better album for it, and finally the band have an album much closer to the quality of their live act.
Their fifth album, and the first one for quite some time, feels like a much more worldly wise collection, the songs draw from a wider range of genres including country, folk, rock and blues – just what you’d expect from a great roots/rock band.
The trio of Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn and Josh Cunningham all provide vocals and a range of guitars to the album, a mix of other instrumentation including keyboards, pedal & lap steel and percussion are provided by the supporting band.
The rockier track are really where The Waifs shine, and the driving rhythms, guitars and ear-candy melodies make track suchs as ‘How Many Miles’ and ‘Goodbye’ stand out as fantastic songs. It’s not all soaring vocals and guitar lines though as the quieter moments on ‘Without You’ and ‘Eternity’ are equally as memorable and add to the balance of the album.
‘Sundirtwater’ is a great summer disc; it feels fresh, full of life and is full of memorable songs and catchy melodies.
Track listing
1 Pony
2 Sundirtwater
3 Vermillion
4 How Many Miles
5 Without You
6 Sad Sailor Song
7 Get Me Some
8 Eternity
9 Sweetest Dream
10 Goodbye
11 Stay
12 Love Let Me Down
13 Feeling Sentimental
