Olson & Louris - Ready For The Flood

The seminal Minneapolis alt-country band the Jayhawks was both blessed and cursed to have two capable songwriters and lead singers. While the combined talents of Gary Louris and Mark Olson made the Jayhawks a fantastic band, their destiny was to part ways. As we know, this usually happens to bands with multiple songwriters (Lennon/McCartney, Strummer/Jones). Mark Olson left the Jayhawks in 1996 to join his wife Victoria Williams with The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers. Gary Louris carried on with the Jayhawks as thier main songwriter and changed their sound from album to outstanding album.

Now, thirteen years after their musical breakup, Louris and Olson have reunited to release an album together called Ready For The Flood. Listeners might be surprised to find out that the album is more "Simon & Garfunkel with Gram Parsons thrown in" than "Jayhawks." The "cry-in-your-beer twang" is still present, of course. But the mellow, acoustic guitar combined with the vocal harmonization of Louris and Olson hearkens back to the late 60's days of folk singers Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Gary Louris plays the part of Paul Simon, by the way, with Mark Olson serving as Art Garfunkel. I have always believed Gary Louris is the more talented songwriter of the two, and has the stronger voice. I really couldn't stand The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers. The two voices compliment each other so well, however, that the whole is better than the sum of the parts, or whatever that saying is.

Ready For the Flood is really is a mellow, melancholy album that grows on you with each listen. I wouldn't say that I would play it at a party. It's what I like to call a "headphones album." It's basically the two musicians with acoustic guitars and outstanding vocal harmonization. To continue the Simon & Garfunkel comparison, the best songs on this album "Bicycle," "Saturday Morning On Sunday Street," & "Black Eyes" would sound at home on S & G's 1968 classic album Bookends.

When all is said and done, it's probably better that Louris and Olson recorded a mellow, reflective album such as Ready For The Flood rather than try and recreate the "country rock sound" of the Jayhawks. It can be dicey and somewhat embarrassing when musicians part ways and then reunite years later to "recreate that old magic." This is most likely one reason the surviving Replacements have resisted reuniting. That sound for was for a different time and place.

So, for now, we have the latest incarnation of Gary Louris and Mark Olson. And, much like the last incarnation, I heavily recommend listening to it. My wife and I will be attending the duo's February 21st concert at The Varsity in Minneapolis. Should be a good time.

Jeff