Newbie group Carolina Rain did not set out to revolutionize country music or take a stand with its debut Equity Music Group album, which arrives with a warm and fuzzy feeling of familiarity.
But just when you've accepted that this is a band like so many that came before it, Carolina Rain drops in something old that sounds new.
The trio's innovation comes from dusting off instruments that don't see enough light of day in today's country music. The album echoes with the hollow splendor of mandolin and the mournful whine of steel guitar set against the backdrop of 1980s rock-ballad guitar play.
The clash of country and rock is deeply felt on the midtempo ballad "Dealin'." The song is not the best on the album, but it is musically rich with its dueling rock and country personalities.
The rock roots appear to run deep, no doubt introduced by lead singer Rhean (pronounced Wren) Boyer, 36, a former teen rocker. But they are perfectly balanced against the crystalline harmonies led by Jeremy Baxter, 26, whose choirboy chops were honed in his family's gospel group. Marvin Evatt, 32, delivers the low harmony, along with banjo and guitar.
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"Weather the Storm" flips from the wish-I-were-home lament of "Carolina Rain" — the first song the trio wrote after hooking up by chance in 1999 — to the romantic romp "That's Alright With Me." The trio's harmonies sparkle throughout and are especially poignant on the album's closing ballad, "Who Needs the Sun."
