The third full-length effort from the Austin-based duo,
San Isabel
takes its name from the San Isabel National Forest in Buena Vista, Colorado, where
Jonathan Clay
and
Zach Chance
recorded the 11-track set in a remote cabin studio. That sense of space weaves its way through the LP like soft summer rain, and leaves in its wake a humid haze that evokes "Rocky Mountain High" by way of "Peaceful Easy Feeling." The duo's effortless harmonies still look to the
Everly Brothers
Simon & Garfunkel
for inspiration, with the former looming over the breezy single "This Too Shall Pass" and the latter informing the sparse, "Scarborough Fair"-inspired rendering of the
Mamas & the Papas
' classic "California Dreaming." Co-produced by
Jamie Mefford
(
Nathaniel Rateliff
,
Gregory Alan Isakov
),
adopts an overarching theme of serenity; a plea to both the listener and its creators to take a step back from the often-discordant white noise of the social media age and just be present. Overdubs are few and far between, with
Clay
Chance
's harmonies and deft guitar and banjo work taking center stage. Even at its most muscular -- the martial, foot-stomping opener "Crazy World (Judgment Day)" and the bustling "Mayday Man" -- there's a sense of laid-back candor at play that suggests the duo have been allowing the myriad pains and joys of everyday life to move through them rather than take up residency. By looking inward,
Jamestown Revival
have crafted their most outwardly satisfying collection of folk- and country-inflected Americana songs to date. ~ James Christopher Monger