(SELF-RELEASED EP; 2013)
So… here’s what I know about Andrew Leahey and the Homestead: the band features a Virginia-bred, Nashville-based singer/songwriter named Andrew Leahey. Apparently, a guy named Phil Heesen plays lead guitar. There may or may not be a guy called Ben Willson appearing on piano and Fender Rhodes. There you go… that’s it. This EP is less than 20 minutes long; I spent over three hours trolling on-line for information about who played what. Amazingly enough, the site with the least amount of useful information is Leahey’s own – www.andrewleaheymusic.com. Go figure! Anyway…
That’s the only thing I can find to complain about with the music (and nameless musicians who performed it) on SUMMER SLEEVES. The music of Andrew Leahey and the Homestead can best be described as Heartbreakers (the Tom Petty variety, not the Johnny Thunders variety) style countryfied rock ‘n’ roll, sometimes a little more rock, occasionally a little more country (or country rock or country pop or alt country or Americana or whatever this style of music is being called at this moment in time). SUMMER SLEEVES features four songs, each with a decidedly different stylistic approach and all of them likely to get stuck on repeat in your head.
“Little In Love” is the most overtly rock tune here, with an acoustic guitar (by Leahey, I’m guessing) marking rhythm under a fluid electric lead (Heesen, no doubt) and a solid slide solo. Though Leahey’s vocal delivery is rather reminiscent of Tom Petty, his voice is smoother, without the nasal twang that Tom is known for. The swirling Fender Rhodes diving in and out of the mix is very Benmont Tench-like and, thus, heightens the Petty reference. “Don’t Make Me Sad” starts off a little more uptempo than “Little In Love,” but not much. Don’t expect any overt shredding from the Homestead, as MOR rock and poppy alt country is where this band plays best. I would not be in the least surprised to hear this song on a rock, country, or alternative radio station; to my ears, it fits comfortably within the parameters of any of those genres.
The most “country” sounding track is “Waiting On a Plane.” It delivers all of the standard country features: a pedal steel guitar, brushed drums, a swinging one note bass line and a honky-tonk style piano pumping rhythm. The “story” aspect of the lyrics only adds to the overall country vibe. “Who Wants an Easy Love” starts like a slower, slightly more country version of John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over.” The melody persists throughout, but the tune actually sounds like three very distinct songs – a virtual suite, in the tradition of “A Quick One While He’s Away” by the Who. The second “impression” (to steal – oops, I mean, “borrow” – some terminology from classical music and Emerson, Lake and Palmer) falls more toward the rock end of things. The instrumental section that draws the seven minute epic to a close reminds me of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” with its organ swells and a nice guitar solo weaving its way throughout. On the band’s Facebook page, they note that “Who Wants an Easy Love” is “the closest to a love song” you’re going to find on SUMMER SLEEVES. I humbly disagree. Love is all over this thing! From love lost to love unrequited to love unwanted, I think that – for better or worse – this is a collection of love songs. And a darn fine one, at that!