You’ll be hard pressed to find a review of the Deadstring Brothers album that doesn’t reference the Rolling Stones. Fortunately, they are almost always referencing the Rolling Stones 1968-72 era, aka Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street. Personally, I consider that four record run to be the best by any band.  Ever. So yea, frontman Kurt Marschke sounds a lot like Mick Jagger. And yes, the band has that raggedy blues-country feel that Keith Richards and company perfected.  But does anybody really have a problem with that? So yes, the Deadstring Brothers are, if not stealing out right, at least liberally borrowing from the Stone oeuvre….. But they do it so damn well. And let’s face it, the Stones haven’t made music this good for decades.
Sao Paulo is the fourth record from the Detroit-London based Deadstring Brothers. In their typical fashion, the album is a concise ten song run of blues, soul, and country influenced rock and roll. Opening with classic steel guitar on the title track and closing with the country rock perfection of “Always A Friend of Mine”, the album never hits a bum note. Highlights for me are “Adalee†and “The River Songâ€, but it’s just as easy to point to any other back to back songs on the record. I’d rank Sao Paulo a bit ahead of 2007’s Silver Mountain and right up there with the classic (in my mind) Starving Winter Report. Album by album and song by song, the Deadstring Brothers are building an impressive catalog of classic rock and roll records.
So in conclusion, if you are a fan of the Faces, the Stones, the Allmans, or the Black Crowes, do yourself a favor and pick up Sao Paulo or any of the Deadstring Brothers albums. If they’re not your new favorite band, I’ll eat my vinyl collection.
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd