Andy Juhl -A Simple Life on Land- Review

Artist: Andy Juhl
Title: A Simple Life on Land
Website: http://www.andyjuhl.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/andyjuhl
CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/andyjuhl
Style: Folk/Rock
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

This is Andy's debut solo album. He's probably best known as the guitarist for the Minneapolis based experimental group the Trimmed Hedges.

 

Besides Andy -(vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica) you'll also find John Juhl - (drums, percussion, vocals), Brian David -(bass), and Cindy Juhl- (french horn) on the album.

 

From the very first song  "And In The Morning" you can really hear the Neil Young influence to Andy's sound. On several of the songs if I would have received this CD in the mail and listened to it I would have swore I was listening to Neil Young. The folk/rock songs have that genuine story behind them along with an ever-present harmonica work that lights up the songs.

 

All of the songs aren't on the folk side though you also find a couple of them where the electric guitar is cranked up and let loose to play with glee. I also liked the 2 instrumental tracks found on A Simple Life on Land on which the instruments were let loose to showcase their musical talents.

 

The two instruments that get a mention for their fresh and intriguing additions to the CD are the banjo parts found on several of the songs along with the, rarely heard outside of orchestral music french horn, found on the song, "Let's Go Around One More Time." It added a unique element to the song that I enjoyed.

 

If you're a fan of Neil Young's music you'll love this release and even if your not I think that Andy brings enough fresh elements and quality song writing to make it worth getting.