Folk-Rockers "The Rural Alberta Advantage" Release Sophomore Album

Before we go any further, The Rural Alberta Advantage is a band, not an ability that people from the Alberta, Canada countryside have; and they're a darn good band. Problem is, their new CD, Departing (which released March 1st), might not hold up quite as strongly as their debut album titled Hometowns,  which they self-released in 2008, but then re-released through Saddle Creek Records in 2009.

The Rural Alberta Advantage's sound is almost unmistakable, they are a three-piece band with simple folk-rock tunes that sounds pure and homely, like they are a band that might play down at a local pub. Adding to this is effect is the lead-singer's vocals which are a high-pitched but rough tone which, simply put, would not incline me to think he grew up singing in choir. These comments may sound like critiques, but I truly believe these elements are a great appeal to The RAA's sound. I cannot describe it, but whenever I listen to their music it simply makes me feel good inside. The RAA's music seems very grassroots, like it's not forced or influenced by anyone other than the band members themselves.

Where The Rural Alberta Advantage's debut album Hometowns and Departing differ is that, while both CDs are good, Hometowns seems to do most everything that Departing does, but it seems to do it better, and also feels like it does a bit more. Hometowns features a handful of catchy indie rock tunes in "Frank, AB", "Four Night Rider", "Edmonton", as well as others; where Departing seems to only compare the lead-single "Stamp" and "Tornado '87", there are a couple other songs that attempt a similar faster pace, but that do not seem to work out as well. Also, two of my favorite songs from Hometowns were the slower, more solemn songs "Sleep All Day" and "In the Summertime"; and while Departing offers up "North Star", "Coldest Days", and "Good Night"; none of them seem to come through quite as true-to-heart as Hometowns. The exception to both of these examples is the opener to Departing  called "Two Lovers" which is an excellent balance between styles, and is a sound unique to Departing.

I do not want to discredit The RAA for not being able to replicate their first album, because I am certainly a fan of artists who aim for progression rather than repeating what first worked for them, but with Departing it feels like they tried to repeat Hometowns, but ultimately could not quite match their marvelous first effort. That's not to say that Departing  is not good, I do thoroughly enjoy the album, but Hometowns just set the bar awfully high in my book. Who knows, with time I might end up eating my own words, after all, Departing only came out a day ago and there is plenty of time still for it to soak in further.

You can stream The Rural Alberta Advantage's second album, Departing, in it's entirety here,but check out the music video for their lead single "Stamp" below. You can buy Departing from iTunes and Amazon.

And for comparison, here are some songs from 2008's Hometowns: