In 1978, two years and two albums after being touted as the next big thing by
Clive Davis,
the Alpha Band was in its final days. For its swansong, the Christian leanings of
Spark in the Dark, which was "humbly offered in the light of the triune God," became more overt, while their sound became more eccentric. And with a pair of commercial flops under their belt, there was little chance that the group's idiosyncrasies and pious rants were going to reverse the trend this time out. But, this band -- especially
T-Bone Burnett -- was seemingly on a mission, both musically and philosophically. The opener, the Old Testament synopsis "Tick Tock," sets the stage, with its tales of temptation, sinners, false idols, wrath, and even mercy. The condemnation of this "Perverse Generation" (a song title) that follows over the next three tracks may appear overly moralistic and harsh, but in the context of cuts like "Tick Tock," the repentant "Back in My Baby's Arms Again," and
Hank Williams' joyful "Thank God," it seems merely overzealous. Lyrical content aside, this may be the band's most interesting, challenging, and eclectic music yet. "Rich Man" is awash in percussion, horns, and gospel voices, with
David Mansfield's mandolin darting in and out, while
Steven Soles' "Two Sisters" has the feel of a Middle Eastern folk dance, and the two songs that close the album are rooted in Memphis and Nashville. The unifying factor throughout is
Mansfield, whose violin, mandolin, dobro, and guitar bring a surprising cohesiveness to
Statue Makers. The Alpha Band seemed to know that this would be their last hurrah, and figured that they might as well make some noise on the way out. This is the sound of a band stretching its creative legs for the last time. ~ Brett Hartenbach