Founded back in 2006, Rusty Belle hail from Massachusetts and comprise of brother/sister combo Matt & Kate Lorenz, plus the talents of Zak Trojano.
The band has released six records to date and display an off-beat, quirky approach to song arrangements with a stripped down approach, augmented by intelligent and restrained playing.
For this release, the band has enlisted the talents of David Goodrich as producer. He has worked with Chris Smither, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault and Cold Satellite, to name but a few, and there is a clear, stripped down feel to his interpretation of the 10 songs here.
We have the eclectic, inventive sound of ‘Change my Heart’ with a fuzz guitar tone that would not be out of place on a Fleetwood Mac record, while the arrangements of ‘When We Were Older’ and ‘Anything’ display a more roots oriented, bluesy focus.
From the slow burn, Tom Waits influence, of ‘Devil in your Smile’ to the sweet strum of ‘The Waves’ which conjures up a Jack Johnson groove; the songs continue to surprise and tease the listener.
The final song ‘Light in the Tunnel’ leaves me wanting to explore a great deal more about the back catalogue of this interesting band of innovative musicians.