The Wild Feathers – “Medium Rarities” (November 20, 2020)

Nashville’s The Wild Feathers are like a warm sweater that you didn’t really ask for but are glad you have on a cold day.

By Steve Forrest

Let’s be honest, The Wild Feathers are not the band that’s going to blow your hair back, but something has to be said for their combined vocal talents, the confidence in their playing, and their comfortable non-threatening song writing that creates a perfect blend of Southern Rock, Heartland Rock, and Americana Country.

The band’s latest release “Medium Rarities” is a collection of previously unreleased original tunes with a cover of “Almost Cut My Hair” that span the bands years of growth, produced by both Jay Joyce and Dave Cobb as well as the band having their hand in the co-production. The songs on this LP are all warm and familiar, serving as perfect background music for a BBQ or a day on the lake with some beers and buddies. The production is soft and heartfelt, the instrumentation is definitely seasoned, and you can tell these guys have been at it together for a while with how they complement each other’s playing and writing, but is it very interesting? I’m not really that certain it is.

I know it may sound as if I’m putting “Medium Rarities” into a predictable pigeonhole, but in all honestly, I do enjoy this album. In a lot of ways, it harks back to the 1990’s alt rock bands like Everclear or Train and makes me feel safe when I listen to it. And that’s great and all, but it’s all just too familiar for me.

The Wild Feathers are no doubt a talented bunch and will be gracing the stages of many Americana festivals across the south for years to come, however I don’t think they’ll be reinventing the wheel anytime soon and maybe that’s the point. Sometimes you just got to sing the song, and not try to wander too far outside of the box.

Either way, I’ll give this album 1 1/2 thumbs up simply because with all this time on our hands I’m personally looking for something a bit more challenging.