Now Playing: The Rifters' ‘The Enchanted World’

The Rifters are prepping for the release of a new album. It’s titled The Enchanted World and has a drop date of April 28th. But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the act in question, a bit o’ background.

The Rifters

According to the band’s official website, “The Rifters formed in 2002 in the fertile and creative music scene of Taos, New Mexico from members of two popular bands already active in the area. The Rifters is a talented trio of singer-songwriters and musicians. The roster includes Rod Taylor of the Rounders on guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Jim Bradley on bass and vocals; and Don Richmond on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, pedal steel guitar, harmonica, accordion, trumpet, and vocals. Bradley and Richmond are from Hired Hands.

They “had all known one another for years” and finally chose “to join forces to form The Rifters.” Their rockin’ resume includes four previous platters beginning with their debut disc, The Rifters which was released in 2004. They followed it up with 2011’s The Great River, and a live album, Live at the Sagebrush, which dropped in 2013, and 2016’s Architecture of a Fire.

Signature Sound

The Rifters’ signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including Americana, country, and folk. They spoke of their signature sound, once described in part as “driving blue-grama-grass.” They said:

“It’s music that comes from where we come from – both from the high desert and mountain landscape of our home and from the background and experiences of our lives – sort of a laid-back high-energy gentle giant old blue-buffalo-grama-grassy, cowboy, folky, shake-a-leg with a smile sort of thing. A rift is a split or a gap, sort of like the Rio Grande Rift that we all live on or around. But this music is more about bridging gaps. For us, the music is what ties all the different times and places together. We hope you enjoy it.”

The Enchanted World

The Enchanted World is a 14-track album that includes 10 “co-writes” or originals, and four specially selected covers.

Track by Track

The album opens gently but effectively on “The Circle.” Not to be confused with the 1996 tune by the English rock band Ocean Colour Scene, this is an original. According to a recent email, this is a tuneful tribute to the life of a ranch hand. Taylor actually spent four decades working as a cowboy which explains how the song’s lyrics sound sincere.

“The Greatest Mystery” was written by Andy Wilkinson who is described as a “Rifter friend and Lubbock-based writer.” This too has a focus on the wonder that can be found in not only the rangeland but the natural world as well. There’s a deceptively simple beauty to much of the band’s music and this track is no exception.

The next number is the mid-tempo title track, “The Enchanted World.” This one concerns our ability to change our personal perspectives on life. The band describes the piece as a “song about the power we have to choose how we see the world.” They added: “Thanks to Paul Pearcy for joining us on drums.”

There’s something about “The Perfect Dance” that musically helps to give the track its own little identity. Perhaps it is the fun introduction of Dexter Payne on the clarinet and Pearcy on drums and spoons. Whatever it is, this song about trying to balance life’s various daily tasks and desires holds its own.

The largely autobiographical “It’s Cause You Lived” deals with change and maturity. Jimmy Stadler is introduced on piano and Pearcy remains on drums creating a sound that is fresh yet familiar.

The sixth songful serving is the fitting “At the Foot of the Mountain.” Like many of the band’s original songs, it has its own little history. The group was a part of “their friend Eliza Gilkyson's stellar 2022 release Songs From the River Wind, [which was] produced by Don [Richmond] and [featured] the Rifters on harmony vocals.” This song, co-written with Gilkyson and John Gorka, was included here because it “made a perfect Rifters song and so included it on this collection.”

The seventh selection is “The Dollar Worth of Mother Earth.” This was co-written by Taylor and his talented “friend and great cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell.” Their shared goal was to create “a powerful environmental message” concerning the care of our planet. Unfortunately, they don’t specify who the “we” in the lyrics refers to but it’s nonetheless well-intentioned. Pearcy and Stadler return on drums and piano respectively.

The happy “Tres Pies”, or “three feet” in English, is Richmond’s superb song-story about an old pal’s three-legged canine companion. Richmond admitted to being continuously inspired by the dog’s relentless “joyous embrace of life, regardless of hardships or challenges.” Pearcy remains on drums.

Not to be confused with “The Wonder of You”, written by Barry Knight and made famous by Vince Edwards (1958) and Elvis Presley (1970), this is also an original audio offering co-credited to Richmond and Teri McCartney. This is a song that discusses the undeniable beauty and wonder of family and loved ones. It includes Richmond’s brother, “Diamond” Jim Richmond on pedal steel and Michael Hearne on acoustic guitar.

“Nothing is Free” is next here. Bradley uncovered this one written by the Colorado dueting duo Moors and McCumber and leads the way on vocals and both bow-string and electric bass. Pearcy adds a touch of djembe to complete the partially pizzicato picture which adds a little something to the album.

Next, the band covers that 1949 classic “That Lucky Old Sun.” Taylor decided to resurrect this simple dusty ditty by Beasley Smith and Haven Gillespie while the group was proposing possible pieces to put on this platter. It sounds like they enjoyed recording it.

The effective “So Many Different Things” is a song about all the many little things both good and bad that make up life and what inspires singers to sing and musicians to make music. To flesh things out, Gillkyson returns on harmony vocals, Hearne plays lead guitar, Jim Richmond returns on fiddle, and Pearcy anchors it all on drums.

“At the Rail” is a sad, sober song about suicide. It’s a somber search for answers as to why people are motivated to take their own lives. More specifically, it centers on those who have stood at and even gone over “the rail” at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge outside of Taos. Richmond adds accordion to accent the mood.

The closing cut is the band’s adaptation of “Gentle On My Mind” by John Hartford. It's an apt album endnote to a work recorded by a trio of his fans. It includes Hot Rize’s Pete Wernick on the banjo. Hearne returns once more on lead guitar. As previously noted elsewhere, the inclusion of a cover song or two on any album allows artists to make a connection with an audience via a sense of shared love and familiarity.

Overall…

Overall, this album is a strong sampling of songs about ranching, western life, and universal themes such as adulthood, environmental awareness, self-exploration, and life’s everyday wonders and challenges. Essentially, it’s largely the band’s celebration of and reflection on life. So, check out Until The Rifters’ new album and experience “The Enchanted World” for yourself!”

(Images courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media and The Rifters)