Sixteen Horsepower, Folklore (Jetset) 9+
Fans of Sixteen Horsepower's powerful Joy Division/Nick Cave brand of gothic country might initially be disappointed by this short effort, which consists of only four originals, and six covers. Much like Nick Cave's Murder Ballads, Sixteen Horsepower seamlessly mix their own songs with old bluegrass and country songs (so old that four of them are traditional, with no specific songwriter given credit), giving them a very contemporary feel in their unique style. Rather than rock out, the band gives the songs a darkly European folk feel (despite its Colorado base, two-thirds of the trio is French). It's the traditional songs that get the most revered treatment, like the epic "Outlaw Song," which evokes the vastness of the foreboding vastness of the 19th century Western frontier. Hank Williams' doomed romance "Alone And Forsaken" is given an appropriately apocalyptic treatment, while The Carter Family's "Single Girl" is shockingly peppy. "Horse Head Fiddle" is given a thoroughly unique arrangement, somewhere between an Indian raga and a Tibetan monk hymn. The album ends with the French waltz, "La Robe A Parasol," confirming Sixteen Horsepower's privileged position, alongside Tom Waits and The Walkabouts, as masterful interpreters and original creators of both Americana and European folk.
