November 2006

Indie-Music.com
November 4, 2006
Between Two Lions ~ Put This City On My Shoulders
By STEPHANIE JOUDREY

Between Two Lions are pretty much the classic case of a band with a lot of talent and good intentions but missing that certain knack that will bring them stardom. I usually find that if you dig deeper into these bands, it is their integrity holding them together, assisting them to play their heart and soul to fans. They write albums that they truly believe in, regardless of how many will sell.

Put This City On My Shoulders is a safe album in terms of its sound. It sits on the fence between country and rock. I have applied the term Alt. Country very loosely, as there isn't much Alt. about it. This band can mix up any song to fit the bill of where they are playing. Any number of the tracks on the disc could be rocked up if needed. I imagine that diversity has gained them many a fan when people see them playing a mellow set one night and a full-on rock gig the next week.

Lead singer Brent Engle has a calm voice that can only come naturally from singing with his family or a number of bands since he was a kid. His vocals are never overpowering. Actually, it seems that each member has taken care not to hold the spotlight too long. They all meld together, creating songs that feel complete.

The calmness of Engle's voice does seem to hold the mood of the entire disc though. You aren't going to get too many ups or downs from this disc. I know that doesn't make it sound all too appealing, but sometimes you don't want to listen to music that has crazy highs and lows. This would be the perfect album to listen to while you were cooking Sunday morning breakfast.

Put This City On My Shoulders is a solid album. I would be interested to hear what else they've done in order to hear what happens when they jump right out of the box.