Juanita Family and Friends--Juanita Family and Friends

Get out of your comfort zone and see if your ear fancies some pure country tunes with Juanita Family and Friends. With the perfect band name for a county fair headliner, the Portland five-piece plays a stripped down version of country music, often with only a simple acoustic guitar backing Lana Rebel’s sweetly remorseful singing.

Juanita Family and Friends almost falls into the horrid country stereotype of back-to-back ballads of love lost to a slightly different rhythms. Songs such as "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Close My Eyes" become boring with their simple flat lyrics and slow-moving instrumentals. This almost works to their advantage however when a song like "Burn Your House Down" comes on, totally breaking away from the country stereotype with its pyro-based lyrics.

This debut album is a slow-burner however, and not much instrumental excitement is to be found. They do play well, however slow, and Rebel’s vocals are the perfect complement to backwoods melodies. Juanita Family and Friends are interesting because of their odd, unexpected, and often harsh messages which contrast sharply to other forms of country music. If you’ve steered clear of country music, try out Juanita Family and Friends’ unique take on the genre.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)