A familiar song will often offer a way to tune into an unfamiliar band. While
Mike McClure has recorded before,
Camelot Falling nonetheless includes the familiar opener "Into the Mystic" for those unfamiliar with the band. It's a brave choice, picking a very familiar
Van Morrison song, because there's really little chance of making a better version.
McClure and company nonetheless do a good job, and in doing so, get the listener's attention. Here, and on songs like "Where the Wild Ones Run,"
the Mike McClure Band concoct a
Hootie meets
Jakob Dylan sound, filling each song with organ, electric guitar, and rough-and-ready harmony on the choruses.
McClure isn't a one-trick pony, though, so it's a pleasant jolt when he cuts loose with hardcore alternative country on "Eden Burning/Camelot Falling." "Modelo," with its prominent Dobro, even shows that he knows how to play traditional country. There's also a fine rendition of
Neil Young's ode to smoking and driving, "Roll Another Number." Perhaps
McClure's dedication to God will seem rather odd after this, but he's always been an eclectic soul, drawing his inspiration from a number of sources.
Camelot Falling is a solid album, well-played with good songs, that should please
McClure fans. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.