For their second album,
the Bad Livers have turned in another fine batch of tunes, but this time they've traded the crisp
Paul Leary production of the first album for a slightly more murky mix, where the vocals sometimes get a bit lost. The instruments come through just fine, and once again
Danny Barnes is in fine form on both guitar and banjo. The songs are topnotch. In particular, the playing and arrangement (for banjo, guitar, dobro, and mandolin) on "He Didn't Say a Word to Me" are exquisite. They also do a wonderful job with
the Kentucky Colonels' "Blue Ridge Express." "Clawhammer Fish" and "Where They Do Not Know My Name" really showcase
Barnes' banjo technique, and "Horses in the Mines" is a slow country-blues with slide banjo. But they also start taking some slightly experimental chances as well, hinting at what's to come on subsequent albums. About halfway through the album, "New Bad Liver Singer" is a goof-off track with someone's dog (uncredited!) howling along with a harmonica. Following that is "High, Lonesome, Dead and Gone," a song in three parts where you can clearly hear a television set droning on behind the band. The treated vocals on "Shot at a Bird, Hit Me a Stump" and "Puke Grub" pretty much guarantee that a career playing bluegrass festivals is not in the cards.
Horses in the Mines is a small step in the evolution of
the Bad Livers. While it has a largely traditional sound, its production and experimental tendencies are likely to further alienate any potential traditional bluegrass fans they may have courted, but fans of other bands on the indie label Quarterstick are just as likely to admire their DIY ethic and don't-care attitude. Ironically, this would be their last recording for Quarterstick before moving to the traditional bluegrass label Sugar Hill. ~ Sean Westergaard