Chinatown

The Be Good Tanyas sound could loosely be described as alt.bluegrass, in that it displays an understanding and respect for the old-time alliance of bluegrass. They have an original sound that, a touch ironically, is best highlighted on covers like ‘The House Of The Rising Son’. It takes several moments to realise that this is the same song that the Animals had an international hit with way back when.

Equally, covers of Peter Rowan’s ‘Midnight Moonlight’ and Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Waiting Round To Die’ are given the kind of distinctive treatment you’d want from an all female trio, featuring guitar, mandolin, ukulele and banjo (as well as discreet touches of fiddle and trumpet to round our their sound).

Alongside the well-chosen covers are original songs that are not afraid to tackle such dark topics as drug addiction (on ‘Junkie Song’) or loss and loneliness on songs like ‘Lonesome Blues’ and ‘Dogsong 2’.

A warm, strong album, Chinatown puts flesh on the group’s credo that their music is about “living a rich life more than getting rich”. Chinatown is a rewarding experience.