CCM meets Americana on this five-song EP that finds
Decemberadio following up its two studio albums and live CD with a country-flavored, partially "unplugged" trip to the Southern Attic Studio in Virginia, their home state. The version of
Emmylou Harris' "Deeper Well" and "Narrow" are more in the band's familiar Southern rock mode, making them sound like the
Black Crowes with religion. But "Son When You Feel Down," boasting an acoustic guitar and mandolin, is old-timey, down-from-the-mountain country gospel, while "Be Strong" matches the acoustic with pedal steel on a ballad that lends conviction to the fairly typical CCM lyrics. And "Where I Wanna Be," with its honky tonk piano, could be part of the repertoire of
the Allman Brothers Band or
Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are definitely elements here that
Decemberadio would be well advised to take into their next full-length LP sessions. ~ William Ruhlmann