Deadstring Brothers

It's never been difficult to picture the CD collection in the Deadstring Brothers' van: Exile on Main Street, The Band, The Gilded Palace of Sin. While they have managed to combine these influences into a modern take on roots rock, it always sounded only passable. That's unfortunately still the case with Cannery Row, despite frontman Kurt Marschke's move to Nashville prior to recording. The added twang, courtesy of pedal steel, fiddle, dobro and female harmonies, does add some authenticity, but the effect remains too close to simply ticking all the necessary boxes. There isn't anything on Cannery Row that distinguishes it from umpteen forgotten albums released during the original country-rock boom in the mid-'70s; it's a shame, since Marschke's intentions are obviously pure. But good intentions are never enough to overcome a lack of personality.