Surfing the satellite TV currents the other day I briefly landed on a food show about making the Mexican treasure, mole sauce. About the only thing in common the virtually infinite versions have is they all use a boatload of different spices that come together forming a flavor unique to every family. I realized mole has a lot in common with the new record from Everett Wren, Porchlight. Wren has produced a number of records for other musicians, and with no fewer than 11 guests on this record he seems to have collected a few favors along the way. Like that chef, Wren simmered them together and produced a surprisingly cohesive album with a sound of its own.
That sound probably fits most comfortably under the string band canopy. One anchor to that argument is Si Bheag, Si Mhor, a traditional Irish fiddle tune updated to a more contemporary country waltz. Another country waltz, L’il Loaf injects a touch of lullaby to a song about friends’ newborn. Have We Lost features former Lost And Nameless bandmate Kimberly Zielnicki on fiddle and lead vocals, in a shiny bluegrass number. A similarly happy bluegrass sound distracts you from the darker picture in Rounders, and questions whether society is going to destroy itself through never-ending decisions to prioritize instant gratification.
Some of the most attention getting tunes on the record add an unexpected layer on top of the string band sound. Trumpet plays a big part on Sliver Of A Moon, voicing a suspicion that the orb is always laughing at Wren’s attempts to get home early from a gig. Keyboards are featured in the title track, a sentimental look at finding the love of one’s life under the luminescent chaperone at a girlfriend’s house. Wardrobe also features a Lost And Nameless bandmate, Harmoni Kelley, on a song that builds to a majestic finish in a story about going through the memories contained in a closet.
Everett Wren spent a couple of years putting together this album. Lots of the wrinkles that were a part of the effort were due to the pandemic, naturally. But Wren was determined to give the project the sound of a band playing together. That took a lot of tweaking. Sometimes the result of playing with all those knobs and sliders sounds mechanical and processed. Credit Wren for avoiding that on the 14 original songs (and a bonus cover of Long Black Veil) that make up Porchlight. It has a warmth and liveliness that draws you in from one story to the next.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.