Music Review // Satsang "Flowers from the Fray"

 https://open.spotify.com/album/01Vu86lNefJ2txf6Zbv2UZ?si=qoILW_55SdS7qtOVcTuRJA&nd=1

There always seems to be this idea of what Americana sounds like but it can tend to feel like the artists are from California or somewhere which just doesn't really represent the true nature of the United States.   Something within these songs by Satsang just represents the actual feel of America.   While there is a song that discusses California in such a way, I'm a fan of it because I always feel like the east coast gets a bad wrap because of certain cities I won't name but don't live in.

The introduction to "Flowers from the Fray" is a collection of voice mails checking in on the human behind the Satsang name.  One of them is about a guitar while another is about finding someone to help get out of a dark place.  I did sort of laugh when the voice said "It's not me, but let me know when you find that person".   It seems as if Satsang has found that person, in his wife and family, as this album shows.

With acoustic guitars and banjos, this music has the feel of Jack Johnson, the Wallflowers and Tom Petty.   There is that rambling feeling but it also can just slow down.  Regardless of what genre of music you listen to though, I feel like "Flowers from the Fray" is about something more than just the sound and the label you want to put on it.  Everyone has likely been in that dark place during their life and this music represents what happens next: how to get out of it.

It feels like a lot of musicians write about what it's like when they're down and out but not as much about what happens after that: how they get out of it.   Even in somewhat of a gospel way, this album just seems to be the next step in healing and if you need to talk to someone you definitely should.   Then you can appreciate this one a little bit more as it is the rainbow coming out of the storm.