The Wild Feathers

If you're of a certain age, you have memories of your parents blasting CCR and Eagles tapes on long car rides. For some, that surely accelerated an interest in edgier sounds, but for others, such as the members of the Wild Feathers, it left an indelible nostalgic impression. This Nashville five-piece have only been around since 2010, but on their 12-track debut, they do a nice job synthesizing their '70s FM radio influences, starting with riff-heavy opener "Backwoods Company." But the majority of The Wild Feathers leans on breezy, harmony-laden California country-rock, with touches of power pop, as on the Tom Petty-ish "American" and "I'm Alive." There's a good helping of laid-back moments too, such as coming-of-age tale "Tall Boots," which shows that the band's strength lies in the balance of musical personalities amongst the members. While none are particularly adept at expressing anything profound lyrically — "Hard Times" strives to be the album's "anthem," but collapses under the weight of clichés — the chemistry they share comes across well overall. The Wild Feathers makes a solid first impression, but if they can dial down the earnestness a bit in the future, they'll have a better shot at becoming the great American rock'n'roll band they clearly have the potential to be.