Coming in at 9 minutes and 17 seconds Woman, the opening track City and Colour’s eagerly awaited If I Should Go Before You, is suitably epic. Complete with a hefty dose of dreamy reverb teamed with Dallas Green’s exquisite falsetto it’s a strong start to a very strong album.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of catching City and Colour on stage before, you’ll appreciate the direction of If I Should Go Before You, which according to Green, “is the best representation of what we do live that we have ever recorded.”
Written specifically with the talents of his touring band in mind, their fifth studio album feels comfortably familiar, yet still manages to impress.
Recorded in Tennessee’s Black Bird studios, that iconic Nashville flavour has bled its way into certain tracks including the waltzing title tune. The country and western influence can also be heard through the range of rollicking ballads and raw confessionals such as Wasted Love and Lover Come Back.
Lyrically, as the album title would suggest, things get a little heavy, which suits the southern feel of the songs – lamentations of love lost and the like.
While their folk roots can be heard through the simple acoustic nature of the closing track Blood (a personal favourite), there’s a real range of genres across the album from the 12 bar blues through to some punk-rock undertones.
As can be expected, Dallas Green has delivered yet another intricate and complex offering that won’t disappoint.
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‘If I Should Go Before You’ is out October 9th, bag a copy here.
Watch: City and Colour – Woman [Lyric Video]
