Rating: 6 / 10

There are “retro” bands, and then there are bands like Clifton Roy & Folkstringer.

The group, centered on singer and guitarist Clifton Roy, doesn’t use any electronic instruments, opting out of any pop/rock formulas. Instead, with NIU alumnus Craig Hauge on upright bass and Gregory Morland on mandolin, Roy has honed a time-honored style.

After cutting its teeth at open mic nights and house parties, the band has picked up a few new members: NIU senior David Rothenberg on drums and backup vocalist Christie McClure, along with their debut album.

With such little emphasis on studio frills, “Where the Rock Meets the Rail,” focuses mainly on Roy’s singing and songwriting. Roy’s traditional sense of song structure and melody occasionally makes some of the songs blend together, but his band’s keen sense of musicianship helps differentiate the highlights.

Rothenberg’s tasteful drum fills on “The Well” really emphasize the folk-shuffle rhythms on the album’s key track. Elsewhere, on “Uncharted,” Hauge carries the song with an enchanting bass line.

Roy’s expressive singing and lyrics are often the focal point on the album. On the gothic-country tinges of the opening track, “Herod’s Blues,” Roy sings “Write these words on my tombstone / I never meant to die alone / but there’s only room for one in the grave.”

As an entire piece, the album lags with too many longer, mid-tempo folk songs in between the upbeat jams like “I Only Wanna Be Your Man,” and “Salty Dog.” The band is still a lot of fun to watch live – that much seems clear from listening to their efforts in the studio. But it feels like any strength on the album would be only enhanced with an audience present.

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