Josh Sandu and Andrew Laite, better known as Rube & Rake, are back and ready to push themselves beyond their comfort zone with an album that can uplift, remind of loves lost and make you yearn for home–wherever that “Somewhere” in particular is for you.
In Leaving With Nothing, the Newfoundland duo sought to elaborate on the more traditional bluegrass stylings of their 2017 debut album, Black and Forth. Seeking to “introduce somebody with different instincts and tendencies,” as Laite put it, resulted in Adam Hogan of Hey Rosetta! joining as producer. The collaboration relies less on harmonizing vocals and brings more diverse arrangements to the latest effort; allowing the pair to explore their sound while keeping roots firmly grounded.
The already alluded to album opener, “Somewhere,” expresses an earnest desire for “a place to lay my head”. It’s a hopeful homage to home—the place that made you who you are. That sense of yearning flickers throughout much of the album’s ten tracks. The vocals echo with honest reflections on what’s been, what’s gone and who mattered most (“Snowing in July”). The duo’s harmonies and the expanded instrumentation creates the stirring sense of either eagerly aching for or reluctantly retreating from the place you really wish to be.
While this collection of stories is far more introspective than raucous, Rube & Rake do at times decide to further slow the tempo. As a result, they create a sweetly frail atmosphere (“Lonesome Song”, “What Will”) that somehow manages to lift you up by your heartstrings. “What a Wait” manages to fool you into thinking it’s a hopeless lament on first listen with the wavering vocals and subtle strumming, but a sense of balance, maturity and lessons to be learned shine through—“too young to know, too old to be told” or “It’s a big ball of nothing, and I’m getting mine”.
The interplay between the instruments and vocals provides much of the album’s upward swings in tone. The sequence of strings; in the finale to the CB radio referencing “10-33” or on the deceptively named “Crying” which leaves you with an almost defiant sense of hope.
“The first album ends up being the greatest hits of what you’ve done so far,” says Laite. “With record number two, you want it to be in the ring with the first one, only bigger and stronger.”
This album twangs and swirls throughout with delightful melodies, folk storytelling, heartfelt vocals and excellent musicianship. Sandu, Laite and Hogan’s efforts towards expanding the sound have paid off with a more varied though still very traditional experience for the listener. It’s the perfect soundtrack to contemplate love, loss, life left to live and the limits we put on ourselves in doing so.