It’s not often that album makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a different era, but Kacy & Clayton’s “Strange Country” achieves this effortlessly. As soon as the record begins to hum you’re in outlaw country: dry, red, and heading southwest. This feeling is perfectly encapsulated in songs like its title track as well as the adventurous “The Rio Grande” and “Over the River Charlie.” Hailing from rural Canada, Kacy & Clayton have created a hybrid of British and Appalachian folk. Throughout the record, Kacy’s voice swells with influence and is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s playful high register. This album deviates from many current alternative country records with its deeply complex guitar arrangements. “If You Ask How I’m Keeping” serves as a small departure from the time period and is beautiful in its subtlety. We feel the heartache that comes with a profound and melancholic realization when she sings: “everything I’m doing has already been done.” This record gives an escape from the harshness of the real world and brings you back to a time that’s almost imaginable
The Fat Angel Sings 