Kootenay & Co. – “Coffee & Misery” Feat. Craig Carswell

Kootenay & Co. – “Coffee & Misery” Feat. Craig Carswell – Single Review

Well now…this right here is exciting.

Don’t get me wrong…I’ve always appreciated the music of Kootenay & Co. ever since I first started to check it all out and I’ve always had respect for the many pieces that have combined & collaborated in this band in order to make the magic happen…but there’s a hell of a huge difference between listening to something like that, and discovering something I’d genuinely want to listen to.  I listen to a track like “Coffee & Misery” and there’s not a single doubt in my mind whatsoever that this is the best I’ve heard from this project to-date, and that this particular cut has reached a whole new level of accessibility for the band’s music/sound.  To sum it up as succinctly as I can for ya – I end up listening to a whole lot of tunes out there from all corners of the scene, because that’s what I do – but this…this here is a track I’d put on in my own time outside of any assignments, for my own personal enjoyment – you following me?

While the quality of the music has never dropped in what Kootenay & Co. creates or how this band goes about making it, the level of universal appeal in the results has gone straight through the roof here.  I’d be throwing a whole lotta firepower behind this single if I was a part of this crew…each and every player that’s had a hand in this from the mix to the music to the microphone deserves a massive high-five for their efforts and how much the stakes have now been raised for this project overall.  “Coffee & Misery” is pretty much the perfect example of what fantastic crossover sound is all about, without compromise.  What we know & what we’ve heard from Kootenay & Co. to this point in time has fallen into categories like Metal or Country…with a few stops in between that have bent more slightly in those directions, but essentially, those genres are where you’d find the music that’s been made so far.  When it comes to “Coffee & Misery,” you might not find the Metal-side of the Kootenay sound, but you could find this in the Blues, Soul, Rock, Country, Alternative…you get the point…just about every other genre outside of Classical & Reggae could pick a track like this up and justify its inclusion.  The amount of doors a song like this one can open are countless…and the true value of real crossover potential like this, is priceless.

There have been hints at something like this coming in the past tunes of Kootenay & Co., but never quite realized as completely as what you’ll hear on “Coffee & Misery” – this is flawless perfection, from start to finish, and the blueprint for the pathway forward.  It’s always going to be tougher for collaboration-based projects to maintain a consistency in the level of appeal you’ll hear…that’s the thing about having so many pieces & parts & players coming & going – it naturally yields vastly different results.  But it’s like they say – “when you know, you know” – and there’s no denying this is the best sound & song I’ve heard from this band so far in terms of how their many pieces have come together for one moment in time.  The musicianship remains stunningly on-point and well-played as you’ve heard from this band in the past – and I’d reckon that the most key change that’s been made here in regards to what we hear likely falls on the shoulders of singer Craig Carswell, who puts in an all-out award-worthy performance on the vocals of “Coffee & Misery.”  No bullshit y’all – I listened to this single for the very first time and thought to myself – “I could very well be listening to the next incarnation of Chris Cornell right here, right now.”

To a guy like me, that says it all right there.  Cornell’s connection to music was so special and rare, that I can guarantee you that you could comb these pages of ours for days & days on end and you’d find that I’ve never made that comparison before…because that dear readers, dear friends, is savagely hallowed ground.  Rest assured I wouldn’t just throw that name out there to pump up some tires or make anyone just feel good for the day – I write what I mean, and I mean what I say – Carswell’s got a gift that is going to take him straight to the top, whether it’s here in Kootenay & Co., solo, or otherwise…you simply don’t stumble upon a connection between a man & the music like you’ll hear on “Coffee & Misery” every day.  Which is really what I’m saying…there are a lot of people out there that can sing great…there are a lot of people out there that can write great songs – and heck, Kootenay & Co. have already proven that they’re fully capable of doing this is in the past from what I’ve heard & experienced myself so far to this point – BUT…there’s something more to be said about feeling that connection from the music to the mic that can’t be duplicated, denied, or overstated…and that’s exactly what you get from this experience.  The chorus of this song is straight up something ELSE – I felt genuine shivers down my spine as I listened to Craig sing this cut…and you can’t get to that feeling in any other way that I know, other than to stumble upon something that’s special in a way nothing else really is.  While I’d never say that the potential for Kootenay & Co. wasn’t there to reach a level like this – to find it as early on in the band’s career is a remarkable indication of their potential, and a milestone to be proud of…”Coffee & Misery” should truly be that measurement & standard to live up to from here on in.  Again, super difficult to achieve when so many players are going to come & go within this project – but that feeling we ALL get…that shiver down your spine as you listen to “Coffee & Misery” – that right there is what you wanna tap into & find a way to achieve each & every time, however it’s accomplished.

Not much else that can be said – “Coffee & Misery” exceeded every expectation I could have possibly had for the music of Kootenay & Co. by every measure – this single’s one of the best you’ll hear in 2022.

Find out more about Kootenay & Co. from this multi-link right here:  https://linktr.ee/kootenayco_

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