13 Days by the Hummingbirds on Laughing Coyote Records

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Holy sh*t! This is so effin’ good! It is a year old, but it is too noteworthy to pass up. This is as good as it gets. This is an incredible mix of classic country, outlaw country, and rock n roll. Every track is good and none require the fast forward button. The Hummingbirds are a duo, S.G. Wood and Rachel Lynn. Rachel shares the same last name as a country legend. Coincidence? I think not. Foreshadowing maybe.

The album starts off strong with the track 13 Days, which happens to also be the name of the album. This is a song about a short lived relationship with a couple that are opposites in every way, well except one. I will leave that to your imagination. The song is sultry and works perfectly with the vocal exchange between Wood and Lynn. Speaking of sultry, almost every song on this release is sultry. As the theme of love and romance recur throughout the album. It is pulled off very well and does not come off as corny or sappy. Quite the contrary actually. The love songs are written in a creative and witty way that totally bypasses the sap. Songs like All Those Things I Didn’t Say, Borrow Me, and Red Truck, are really nice country love songs.

Then we get to another love song, Richer With Nothing, about not having a lot of money but plenty of love. This song will be a classic. It is an absolute gem in which Wood and Lynn trade off vocals and then harmonize beautifully during the chorus. “A banker would say, you can’t have a loan, but we’re richer with nothing, but the love that we own”, that’s one of the lines of the chorus and it is profound and delivered with style and grace.

There are no shortage of great songs on this album, but now let me get to the best of the best….Horses and Rattlesnakes. WOW! This song kicks major ass! It is a toe tapping, finger snapping, head bobbing masterpiece. I have a personal playlist that I listen to when I am working out or travelling. It includes songs by The Drive By Truckers, Uncle Tupelo, The Bottle Rockets, and Johnny Cash, among others. Horses and Rattlesnakes made the playlist. That should give you some indication of how good this song is if it earned a spot in my premium playlist. Listen for yourself if you don’t believe me.

I can’t say enough good things about this album. I am just a little miffed that it took me a year to discover this. But that doesn’t matter now because better late to the party than not being invited at all. Take a listen to the whole thing here and purchase it as well. This really is a must have for any country music aficionado.

Posted In:

Leave a Reply