The Magpie Salute High Water II 2LP

When 'High Water I' was released in August 2018 it was the sound of old friends coming together in a union of rock 'n' roll, psychedelic blues, rasping Americana and late-night storytelling. The band was pulled together by guitarist Rich Robinson; it continued a storyline he began in the Black Crowes with guitarist Marc Ford and bassist Sven Pipien. Meanwhile, vocalist John Hogg shared Hookah Brown with Robinson as keyboardist Matt Slocum and drummer Joe Magistro both joined him for solo records and tours over the years.

'High Water II' picks up where the band's studio debut left off, much of the album was written during those early recordings at Dark Horse Studios in Nashville, which is why the album feels like a perfect continuation of its predecessor.

The country-tinged "Lost Boy" features vocals and fiddle by bluegrass superstar and 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss.

"When a band consistently plays to its communal strengths, good things inevitably happen once the record button is pushed. Such is the case with the second full-length studio effort from the Magpie Salute, the Southern-bred jam-centric collective born from the ashes of the Black Crowes. The synergy that percolates within every homegrown groove of 'High Water II' builds on the organic promise of 2018's deep-rooted High Water I... Witness the gutbucket thrust of opening track "Sooner or Later," which teems with intuitive push-pull guitar riffage from Rich Robinson and Marc Ford - the modern-day American successors to the Keith Richards / Ron Wood mind-meld if ever there were - before transitioning into a trippy piano-driven bridge brought home by a gnarly guitar solo positioned right down the middle, like a perfect strike. From there, the Magpie mavens make all the right arrangement choices with the occasional track sweetener included, such as Alison Krauss' sultry background- vocals and fiddle on "Lost Boy" and Matt Holland's layered horn accompaniment on "In Here". Without a doubt, High Water II is another high watermark for a burgeoning band proudly spreading its wings." - Mike Mettler , The Absolute Sound, February 2020