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The Lomax are a six-piece outfit who look and act more country than they sound. Sure, the guitars are twangy, and the shirts have mother of pearl buttons, but Jeff Chipman's piano and the songwriting from Andy Ellis and Dave Ragsdale conspire on their sophomore record, Lomax Redux, to lend a '60s pop, British Invasion feel mixed with something like the Eagles, especially on the opening "Barely Getting By," which reminds of "Take It Easy."
Not that there's a problem with that. The jaunty trumpet blasts in "The Geometrist" make for a fun anti-love song ("Can two people really make a whole?"). Dave Fields's brush work combines with Ragsdale's vocals to lend some grit to "Let It Go." The balladic "Lonesome Pines" is a nice nod to Maine's country traditions.
If anything, it's just a bit too goofy. Ellis's vocals often seem to have a wink in them, which fits the lyrical material (from "Kalamazoo": "this time I'll even allow you to hold the remote"), but not always the music. When it does, in the Boneheads-like "Red-Headed Stepchild," you need to like funny in your music. When it doesn't, like with "A Long, Long Time Ago," it reduces the impact of what should be a pretty great chorus.
LOMAX REDUX | Released by the Lomax | with the McCarthys | at Bayside Bowl, in Portland | Nov 18 | myspace.com/thelomaxband
Topics:
CD Reviews
, Music, country, Pop, More 
, Music, country, Pop, Dave Fields, Bayside Bowl, Bayside Bowl, Less 
