Album Review :
Green River Ordinance - Under Fire
By Cimarron Hatch in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Green River Ordinance
Album: Under Fire
Label: None
Release Date: 2/28/12
Reviewer: Cimarron Hatch
Buy The Album: iTunes / Online Store
Tracklisting:
- Dark Night
- New Day
- Heart of Me
- Resting Hour
- Under Fire
- Healing Touch
- Love Laid Down
- Home
- Heart of the Young
- Crawling
- San Antone
- Brother
- Don’t Be Afraid
- Lost in the World
- Dancing Shoes
Green River Ordinance is a seasoned folk-rock band from Ft. Worth, Texas. The name “Green River Ordinance” comes from the city ordinances of the same name that prohibit any type of door-to-door solicitation, which was passed into law in Green River, Wyoming in 1932. Under Fire is only Green River Ordinance’s second full-length release even though they have been an active group for over ten years. They have, however, released numerous EPs. The band consists of Josh Jenkins—vocals, acoustic guitar and piano; Jamey Ice—lead guitar; Joshua Wilkerson—electric guitar and background vocals; Geoff Ice—bass and background vocals; and Denton Hunker—drums.
Under Fire is opened by “Dark Night.” Right away, the amazing harmonies are the best part of the song, and the fast pace is highlighted by prominent, pounding drums. “Heart of Me” displays a bit of a country influence, but reminds me a lot of The Fray, both in the vocals and the melody. “Love Laid Down” starts off with the vocals being too weak for a slower song but with a lot of cool instrumentation, including strings. But when it reaches its peak at the end, it takes on an entirely different worship feel.
After “Love Laid Down” comes “Home,” a heartfelt song with nice vocals in the chorus, which are later on supported by a choir background. “San Antone” is the most country/western flavored song on Under Fire, even just from the title, but the beat of the song is much like a train on the tracks which is not unusual to hear in country music. “Lost in the World” is a beautiful slow song with a piano and acoustic guitar intro. I enjoyed the lyrics that said, “If you get lost in the world, / Lost in the world, / I’ll be there to find you.” The album closes with the song “Dancing Shoes,” an acoustic love song about dancing away sadness and rough times.
Overall: Green River Ordinance’s Under Fire is a remarkable independent release, though some moments were more notable than others. The styles on this album are really diverse, with some songs being rock, some pop, and others extremely country-influenced. It’s cool to see a band have the freedom to do something as unique as that. While the music and numerous instruments are impressive on each song, I find the main attraction to be the vocals—especially the harmonies. The harmonies on songs like “Dark Night” are amazing and bring the songs to a higher level. I’m very impressed by Green River Ordinance and hope to see them continue to make such great music.