Iron & Wine/Calexico
In The Reins (Overcoat Recordings)

In December of 2004 Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam entered Wavelab Studios in Tucson, Arizona to collaborate with the band Calexico. The idea originated three years prior when Sam entertained the idea of recording with Calexico founding members Joey Burns and John Convertino as his backing band for what would become his debut record. As history would have it, the recording never took place, and Sam issued his now beloved debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle without re-recording his home recordings. It was around this time that Calexico were preparing their next record, Feast of Wire. What laid ahead for both bands was a period of great critical acclaim and a schedule filled to the brim with activity and various opportunities.

For Iron and Wine the ensuing time included, but was not limited to, recording Our Endless Numbered Days, the follow up to The Creek..., with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse/Josh Ritter), having an unexpected hit on the Garden State soundtrack with his cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights”, scoring music to the film In Good Company, touring relentlessly, including a recent appearance at Bonnaroo and perhaps most important, becoming a father again.

Calexico on the other hand experienced a similar pace with Feast of Wire becoming their biggest record to date. The band spent much of their time on the road and had a major breakthrough at commercial radio with both “Not Even Stevie Nicks” and their cover of Love’s “Alone Again Or”. In addition to these successes, Calexico also served as the backing band for the historic Los Super 7 project (featuring such heavyweights as Rueben Ramos, Joe Ely, Freddy Fender, Charlie Sexton and Raul Malo), landed the requisite “big” commercial with Adidas and contributed a number of songs to various soundtracks and movies.

Somewhere in the midst of all of it Joey and Sam found time to stay in touch and keep the idea of recording alive. The resulting session is the mini-album In the Reins, a collaborative affair that features seven Sam originals with the backing of the full Calexico band, along with vocals by Joey and contributions from Nick Luca (NLTrio/John Doe Band), Craig Schumacher, Natalie Wyants and Salvador Duran.

In the Reins is a truly harmonious affair with equal parts Iron and Wine and Calexico to satisfy fans of either or both. The cd’s first track “He Lays in Reins” immediately calls to mind Calexico and in fact will remind fans of an older track, “Over Your Shoulder” (Black Light) as fronted by Sam. The track also features on vocals and botas Salvador Duran, a fixture of the Tucson Flamenco scene. Salvador was plucked straight from the lobby of The Hotel Congress, where Sam was staying, after watching him perform following the first night of recording. The next track “Prison on Route 41” slides effortlessly into sublime Iron and Wine territory with a storyline that reads right out of Springsteen’s Nebraska.

The surprise tracks for many will be “History of Lovers”, “Red Dust” and “Burn That Broken Bed”. These tracks showcase each artist stepping out of their safer, more familiar territories and going for it in the spirit of the collaboration. From the Stax-like horns, which highlight “History of Lovers” to the opening southern blues-jam of “Red Dust” to the sedate jazzy vibe of “Burn That Broken Bed”, these three tracks offer up something new and exciting than what the listener has come to expect from either act.

The cd’s two remaining tracks play to the strengths of both artists and will feel like walking on hallowed ground for many. “16 Maybe Less” is late night stroll on the beach with Joey’s Tremolo guitar shining through with vocal harmonies from up and comer Natalie Wyants’. “Dead Mans Will” closes things out with perhaps the closest thing to what people have come to expect from an Iron and Wine production. It’s a late night, soul-stirring track that takes you to another world without ever leaving the comforts of your home. A perfect way to round things out.

In The Reins stands tall over the shadow already put forth by both Iron and Wine and Calexico and showcases just a few of the possibilities of the even greater potential still to come from both.

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