Lake Street Dive- Good Together
Label: Fantasy
Producer: Mike Elizondo
For nearly a decade and a half, Lake Street Dive have quietly evolved from pure cult-favorite status to one of the buzziest acts on the venerable American roots music scene, with a fanbase spanning from the folk and country-oriented Americana universe to the more uptown AAA audience. And while their stylistic inclinations certainly don’t lean in the more grittier and sparse directions that so many of their peers amongst that lot of artists, the fact remains that Lake Street Dive is perfectly cast as a roots-oriented act in the year 2024. This band just happens to continually curate influences from the smoother sounds of America’s musical roots, including vintage funk, soul, rock and R&B. And how could they not given the silky wonders of lead vocalist Rachael Price (one of the most stunning and underrated female voices in all of pop music today) and the astute musical quartet that surrounds her, including occasional duet partner Akie Bermiss, a uniquely modern soul singer in his own right. This classic LSD palate is as vibrantly vital as ever before on the group’s eighth studio set. Good Together marks their first record since achieving a new level of breakthrough with 2021’s Obviously and its AAA smash, “Hypotheticals”, and the subsequent departure of founding member/guitarist/trumpeter Mike “McDuck” Olson. Olson’s absence proves to be the only deviation as the group and returning producer Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Fiona Apple, Twenty One Pilots) continue to steadfastly hone and perfect their sizzling melting pot sound. While Obviously leaned more weighty and introspective as it tackled the emotional and social baggage of the early 2020s, Together uses the band’s charismatic brand of musical joy as its greatest arsenal in navigating these continually troubled times. The LP delivers what seems like an endless bounty of bops to add to the group’s heralded live catalog, with diverse flavors of a bevy of synthy and brassy pop (“Good Together”, “Dance With a Stranger”, “Better Not Tell You”), funky rock (“Get Around”, “Walking Uphill”), jazzy samba (“Seats at the Bar”) and peppy Tejano (“Party on the Roof”). Price peppers these anthems with her unmistakable personality and then provides a beautiful emotional counterbalance with a pair of stunning ballads (“Twenty-Five” and “Set Sail (Prometheus & Eros)”. The latter selection particularly reigns as one of her finest vocal moments on record, and shines as one of the year’s most moving recordings. All of this cohesive variety and outstanding musicality adds up to one of the band’s most fulfilling and entertaining sets in their glowing catalog, and only further heightens their growing reputation as a “can’t-miss” act across all spheres of recorded music.
Track Listing
- “Good Together” (Rachael Price, Akie Bermiss, Bridget Kearney, Michael Calabrese, Mike Elizondo)
- “Dance with a Stranger” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Far Gone” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Get Around” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Help Is On the Way” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Walking Uphill” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Better Not Tell You” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Seats At the Bar” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Twenty-Five” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Party On the Roof” (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
- “Set Sail (Prometheus & Eros) (Price, Bermiss, Kearney, Calabrese, Elizondo)
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