2007

Americana UK, January 2007

Authentic Americana from a German troubadour.

As sometimes happens, an outsider can appear to be more authentic than the real thing. If it wasn’t mentioned in his biography you would swear that Rill was born and raised on some dusty porch in the deep south of the good ole USA as opposed to the reality of being German through and through. He has immersed himself in the lore of his favourite land, studying at the University of Texas and adopting a boho dirt trodden persona in his songwriting.

This album was recorded in Nashville and consists of 12 self-penned songs that would not disgrace any number of well-respected singer/songwriters oft noted in these pages. With a well-worn husk in his voice and a top-notch band behind him it is a delight from start to finish. Acoustic based for the most part with tremendous support on pedal/lap steel (by Fats Kaplin) the songs range from tender ballads to shit kicking romps that encompass traditional topics such as truck crashes, outlaws and broken marriages. Rill avoids cliché throughout, the title track, The Price You Pay For Sin, is a tale of adultery, best friends and betrayal. Over a sublime backing with accordion and cello he produces a song that would sit well on an Alejandro Escovido album. Broken Puppet is another tear stained ballad recounting the tragedy of an auto wreck. The refrain tears at the heart as the band excel once again. On the more upbeat numbers there are tales from Bonnie Parker’s first suitor, gazumped by Clyde Barrow on a fiddle driven barndance and a gospel belter, Carry My Load that Steve Earle would have been hard pushed to equal. All in all a great album.

8 out of 10
Paul Kerr