Railroad Earth
Music like this can be respected as creative eclecticism, similar to successful bands like Donna the Buffalo and String Cheese Incident, or criticized as unfocused kitchen-sink-ism. Railroad Earth founder and lead singer/songwriter Todd Sheaffer grabs bits from the last four decades, works them into his lyrics, and some of it rings true. He covers flower power with the interminable “Smile Like a Buddha” and merges psychedelia with Irish flute on “Walk on By.” The band sounds vaguely bluegrass in “Peace on Earth” though no one here possesses a bluegrass voice. The haunting “Mountain Time” successfully combines Sheaffer’s wispy voice with a lyric story and “Mighty River” soars like a pop song. With the musical talent here, especially banjo player Andy Goessling and mandolinist John Skehan, they will find a more coherent sound, but this debut collection is more anarchic than eclectic.