I confess that such a great bluegrass unit hailing from the New England region surprises me. Rock Hearts’ third album, Unfinished Bridges, further solidifies their standing as pre-eminent practitioners of the style intent on building a significant catalog. It is superficial, without question, but few musical styles are associated with a specific geographical region like bluegrass is with the Southern United States. It isn’t an obstacle for bands such as Rock Hearts to overcome for me, but a pleasant surprise instead.
The band are interpreters first and foremost. However, they possess the talent to claim the performance with the authority of personal experience. You believe they’ve lived through each of Unfinished Bridges’ twelve songs. It wastes no time making that case to the listener. The band begins the album with its title song. The track, co-written by Eric Gnezda and Mark Brinkman, has universal resonance for adult listeners thanks to its measured and mature look at our choices and their consequences. Generalized language in song lyrics penned by the wrong hands can end up sounding generic, but Brinkman and Gnezda evade that fate.
“Walk Away” is one of the grittiest tracks recorded for Unfinished Bridges. It’s steeped in bluegrass motifs without ever sounding unduly imitative. The interplay between Billy Thibodeau’s mandolin, Joe Deetz’s banjo, and Alex MacLeod’s guitar weaves a lattice of sound that’s the song’s core, and Rick Brodsky’s understated bass playing supplies a steadying pulse. “Daddy Dixon” is one of Unfinished Bridges’ most complete moments. You have everything you could want with this song; fluid and delightfully predictable development from the first verse onward, a chorus that rewards our anticipation, and fully satisfying instrumental prowess from each band member. The storytelling strength of this track is its crowning glory.
“I Know It’s Wrong to Love You” is a stone-cold weeper. The brooding lyrics over forbidden love are laden with unspoken complications that give the song added weight. Its lyrical brevity is crucial to the ultimate success of this cut as being too wordy would dilute the power of the moment. The alternating solo and harmony vocals are well-placed and flawlessly delivered. “Before I Met You” is flying from the outset and Rock Hearts never takes their foot off the gas. They never put a foot wrong. It’s solid songwriting, as always, but it’s their instrumental talents that will grab your attention with this one.
Unfinished Bridges
Listen to Unfinished Bridges on Spotify · Album · Rock Hearts · 2024 · 13 songs
Storytelling gifts are apparent again during “Tall Stands of Timber”. It’s a story unfolding through character development rather than action and driven in no small part by the imagery threaded through the lyrics. Another late highlight on the album is Alex MacLeod’s “Let Me Be the Best Bible”. This outstanding spiritually inspired tune doesn’t bellow its faith or pump itself up with righteous language. It’s a humble cry from the heart that the speaker gets as much help as possible, from within and without, to live according to spiritual principles. There’s something for casual admirers and devoted bluegrass fans on Rock Hearts’ Unfinished Bridges.
Clay Burton