University of Alabama takes notice.

From the Crimson White

Band plucks heartstrings with debut album

Drew Taylor/ Staff Reporter

Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wild Sweet Orange

Once in a while, a band comes out from under the radar and entrances us in a way we’ve never been before. With an album release long overdue, Wild Sweet Orange, a band out of Birmingham, has developed that persona with “We Have Cause to Be Uneasy,” their debut record.

Truly, this is one of the best bands you’ve probably never heard of. Then again, you may have rubbed shoulders with them in one way or another before. To Birmingham, they are hometown heroes. To the rest of the country, they were featured on the show “Grey’s Anatomy” with their song “Land of No Return” and recently made an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” To the rest of the world, they are a whisper in the midst of the clatter of the music industry that is only getting louder these days, especially with the release of this album.

The name of the band seems to give it away, which is taken from an essential oil. Wild, in that whether it is on the album or at a live show, these guys throw all their inhibitions to the wind, creating an honest, unrestrained sound. Sweet, in that this band has an attractive element to them: words that drip sweet nectar in the soul. It’s one thing to write a song about getting that dream girl or partying in high school, but it’s another thing to write about the more vulnerable things of life, such as feelings toward parents that have been telling you lies your whole life or the meaning of everyday existence. Orange, while not exactly giving a particular taste to the band, definitely shows a very organic component of the band’s personality in that the lyrics and the music are genuine and pure.

The opening track, “Ten Dead Dogs,” the band’s single, is a good introduction to their sound; overdriven, folksy, poignant and full of emotion. The following track, “Tilt,” shows the band showcase its heavier side with Preston Lovinggood emulating a throaty Chris Carraba at the song’s heavy apex.

One song I hold in particularly high esteem is “House of Regret,” which I originally heard in 2006 as a rough demo on the band’s Myspace profile. The song is true conviction; poignant words on living past the regret in your life, to “knock down the house of regret … Till you feel younger and younger.”

The course of the album goes through music for which Lovinggood and company have particular places in their hearts: folk and rock music. All whirling guitar effects and heavy rhythm aside, this album has its foundations in these two genres. The ambience of the rest of the album is just built on top of it. From Lovinggood’s strumming on his acoustic guitar to his rustic crooning, the spirit of folk presides in this album, even more than they would like to admit. One strong example is “An Atlas to Follow,” featuring banjo accompaniment and folk crooning of yesteryear.

Lovinggood, the main songwriter for the band, echoes the heyday of folk, but also accommodates a heavier indie-rock sound. What strikes me the most about him is that he may not be the most extravagant singer, but he sings with such conviction and brash elegance that it adds a very ethereal quality to the music. He has the somberness of a young Ryan Adams, the falsetto of the late Jeff Buckley and the intuition of Bob Dylan. That combination can be explosive in any circle of music.

Taylor Shaw, lead guitarist, swirls in and out with echoes, feedback and chord voicings that you would expect a piano to play. If Lovinggood and the rhythm section of bassist Garret Kelley and drummer Chip Kilpatrick were the cake, Shaw would be the icing on top. Of special note is his work on “Crickets,” whose ambient guitar stylings really paralyze the listener.

The album in its entirety doesn’t have a single weak point; everything flows perfectly from one mood to the next. From the sweet “Seeing and Believing” to the deep and poetic “Aretha’s Gold,” Lovinggood and company echo the trials of growing up as well as lost love and new beginnings.

In fact, Lovinggood is so good that he can carry the same emotion without a band. On “Night Terrors,” he is accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and Kate Taylor, a friend of the band and singer from Birmingham. Lovinggood’s voice is so big on this song that you forget that he is by himself for a minute.

There are too many bands out there with nothing to say. In more cases than I care to talk about, words are just put down to accompany the music. If a band can actually lure me in just be its lyrics, I say that we have a winner. Wild Sweet Orange did that for me. For the first time in a long time, I paid more attention to the words than I did the actual music.
These songs are so emotional that it’s quite a ride listening to it in its entirety, which I suggest you do first before you play “Ten Dead Dogs” and give it a rest. These songs are everything imaginable: haunting, beautiful, poignant, angry, remorseful, happy and everything in between. This album plucks your heart strings like you never have felt; it can stamp on your toes or whisk you off your feet.

Though I don’t know Lovinggood personally, I feel like I have known him and the band for years through listening to these songs. Like the words in “House of Regret,” “I have a friend and when he sings I cry.” I wouldn’t say that I cry when he sings, but I’m pretty close to it.

Rating: 4 stars
Tracks to listen to: “Either/Or,” “House of Regret,” “Aretha’s Gold.”
Release date: July 29
Label: Red Int / Red Ink
Tracks: 11