Roxie Watson – Try a Little Kindness

 

Pristine harmonies, layers of guitar, bass, mandolin and steel, stirring songs, old school country and honky tonk with a hint of Appalachian tradition – a little bit Keith Richards, a little bit Bill Monroe.

Try a Little Kindness (Live) Where Are You Sleepin' Tonight Snakebite Sure As Round and Round Lay Down Beside Me Get Back on That Horse and Ride Half Drunk and Wonderin' Dark Night You're Not Foolin' Me Try a Little Kindness Simple American Life Long Time Traveler

Album Notes

Roxie Watson comes out of the studio leaner and more firmly tapped into their old country roots with this, their 4th record, “Try A Little Kindness.” In line with their previous albums, all four members contribute new original songs here, with a fresh Roxie Watson take on a couple of old country songs you know and love. On stage, “the band marries their unique mixture of bluegrass, classic country and rockabilly with good-natured, folksy storytelling” (Bret Love, GeorgiaMusic.org), and that feel they create in a live setting comes right through your stereo speakers in this studio recording.

There is laughter on this record, but in the tradition of classic American Country music it is balanced with themes of struggle, loss, longing … the push & pull of the human experience. As Richard Winham wrote, Roxie Watson’s songs “have strong melodies and buoyant harmonies that leaven even their darkest songs. Their music isn’t lightweight, but it is joyously lighthearted.” (The Pulse, Chattanooga) The title track, “Try A Little Kindness,” is the band’s rendition of Glen Campbell’s 1969 hit song, written by Curt Sapaugh and Bobby Austin. Almost 50 years later, it is a song that is just as meaningful and hopeful today, and it sets the tone for the whole record.

Roxie Watson is a four-piece string band made up of Lenny Lasater (bass), Beth “BeeWee” Wheeler (mandolin), Linda Bolley (guitars & banjo), and Becky Shaw (guitar, lap steel, button accordion, harmonica & spoons). What started out as a cover-song-playing kitchen duo in 2007 has evolved organically over the years into one of the finest original bands in the Southeast. Garnering the word-of-mouth support of an ever-growing group of loyal fans, the band regularly sells out storied songwriting venues from the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville to Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA. Each band member takes turns with the lead vocal and contributes to both song writing and arrangement ideas. From the firecracker guitar playing of Bolley to the delicate mandolin of Wheeler, the propulsive bass of Lasater, to the lap steel and button box swells & harp and guitar rhythms of Shaw, Roxie Watson weaves a rich tapestry of sound.