Record Review: Dawn Landes & the Hounds – Sweetheart Rodeo

By Alex Brenner

It’s hard to be a female singer-songwriter. Usually they fall into three categories for me. You have the quirky Regina Spektor type, the poppy Lisa Loeb type, or the introspective Tift Merritt type. Dawn Landes falls into none of the above.

While her sound is definitely familiar, she really puts a new spin on the alt-county folk genre. Mixing buzzing keys, harmonica, and tremolo drenched electric guitars with a sweet voice, Sweetheart Rodeo is a terrific follow up to 2008′s Fireproof. Don’t be fooled by the title or the cover of the record either, it’s not a country record at all. I would say Landes is about as country as Cat Power or Jenny Lewis. At just over a half hour long, Sweetheart Rodeo is short and sweet which makes this record easy to play over and over again.

This record comes out swinging with the bouncing opener “Young Girl.” Dawn Landes has gift for catchy melodies and her vocal delivery and meter can almost be hypnotic. While the record could get by on hooks alone, the stark production and interesting instrumentation really makes for a great listen. From the cool descending piano of “Romeo” to the train like “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” it just goes to show it does not hurt to have a talented band behind you. Backed by drummer Ray Rizzo and Josh Kaufman who together are otherwise known as The Hounds, the band is an integral part of this record.

“Clown” breaks up the record half way through with its beating Casio chords and catchy chorus. The second half of the record progressively slows down but never feels like it’s dragging. “Wander Eye” has a nice lazy stroll à la The Band with a simple “Baby’s Got a Wandering Eye” chorus. One of the strongest tracks on the record is “Dance Area,” a quiet little song about being broke and dancing “because dancing is free.”

As a whole Sweetheart Rodeo is a huge step forward for Dawn Landes. Some of her previous work sounds like early Suzanne Vega (which is a good thing) but here she really has found her own voice. I saw her play most of the record live last week at Eddie’s Attic and believe me when I tell you Dawn Landes and The Hounds are the real deal. The songs really translate well live and the band knows how to rock them out, even the slow jams. As stated previously, the record is not long so it does not wear out its welcome. This one is going to get a few more spins from me for sure. It’s definitely “time to rodeo.”

Listen: Dawn Landes – Young Girl