If records like Sweet As Pie the latest release from Lake Of Stew don’t put you in a good mood, then there’s simply no helping you. Though this hootenaney-ready, banjo laden dustbowl of a listen is tinged with some dark undertones, there’s no stopping the overwhelming sense of prosperity that keeps this gem of a record afloat.
Most of the tracks hover around the two-minute mark, such as the stomping sing-a-long shuffle of “Jimmy Runs Fast.” A simple tale brings to mind homemade wine drank from a jug at sunset; Sweet As Pie is an uncomplicated but enlightening listen. Perhaps Lake Of Stew could be written off as something of a gimmick record. And while it’s true that Sweet As Pie is easy to classify, it’s also very easy to find tracks that hit you on a personal level, thus rendering the previous statement kind of meaningless. The defiant state of mind that “On The Porch” induces is one the best of us have experienced; ultimately we’re all alone in this life, but if there are records Sweet As Pie to keep us company, then things might not be so bad. It’s albums like Sweet As Pie that beg not for the revival of CBGB’s but the Grande Ole Opry. After all, a feeling this good is pretty damn contagious.
By Joshua Kloke
[Rating: 4/5]
