Musical Style and Influences
Considered by critics to be part of the progressive bluegrass ("newgrass") musical school, The Greencards draw from a wide variety of musical influences, ranging from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to the Celtic tone of Irish traditional music, gypsy themes, and Latin sounds. Despite the wide array of influences that shape their music, The Greencards have always maintained a distinctively Americana sound. While the various sounds that influence their work are always detectable, none ever dominate the band's music. Jim Abbott, of the Tribune News Service, described The Greencards as polished, "earthy, charming roots music with a sophisticated sheen", but noted that some bluegrass purists may miss the vocal idiosyncrasies that can be found on other acts such as the Del McCoury Band. Their appeal has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. The progressive nature of The Greencards' bluegrass sound has been compared to Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss & Union Station.
The Greencards' work on Movin' On had a looser, jam-based feeling to it, which they later firmed into a more polished sound after relocating to Nashville from Austin for Weather and Water. John T. Davis in No Depression Magazine stated The Greencards' best work on Weather and Water contained a "stillness", which he felt contrasted with the speed and "frantic" pace of some of the songs on Movin' On. While other critics had mentioned The Greencards in the context of jam bands, Davis went on to say that he felt the band was not one, and that they favored a leaner and "clean" sound driven more by Celtic roots.
During their 2005 tour with Dylan and Nelson, Buzz McClain of The Washington Post believed that The Greencards play traditional American music better than some Americans do, because of their deep respect for bluegrass and the Americana sound. According to David McPherson in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, the band's three-part harmonies evoke the soul sounds of Gospel music. Kym Warner has said that Robert Earl Keen, Kelly Willis, and Patty Griffin were key influences musically in The Greencards's sound during their time in Austin, with the previously unreleased Griffin song "What You Are" being covered on their album Weather and Water. The recordings on Viridian, in particular the songs "River of Sand", "Waiting on the Night" and "When I Was in Love With You", were said to evoke the sounds of progressive folk rock that emerged in the 1960s. In Nashville Scene, Edd Hurt noted the eclectic tone of the band's overall body of recordings, and believed that their albums belonged to the tradition of singer-songwriter musicians.
Their musical appeal to fans has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. Naila Francis described The Greencards's sound as having a mellow tone, with "tender ballards and yarns" in their songs, but punctuated by bursts of energetic musical restlessness. Country Music Television in particular noted their melancholy but melodic sound. The Greencards have described their sound as "high energy acoustic music".
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