Rock Salt and Nails
is a highly regarded cult
country
-
rock
folk
record, in part because some of the supporting musicians are highly regarded pioneers of the form:
Gram Parsons
,
Chris Hillman
, and
Gene Clark
all appear on the album. While it is not among the very best of such late-'60s hybrids, it is pretty good, though too low-key to command the kind of wide interest (by cult standards, anyway) that someone like
Clark
or
Parsons
does.
Steve Young
has an unusually convincing reedy voice, never overdoing the melodramatics yet establishing a dramatic atmosphere that admits hints of
blues
soul
swamp pop
. When distant, mournful strings are added to his more anguished and somber songs, like
"Seven Bridges Road,"
"Holler in the Swamp,"
and
"Kenny's Song,"
there's an effective multi-dimensionality rare in early
country-rock
. Other songs, particularly the covers of old
tunes, are less striking. It's an interesting release, though, that's quite rewarding for fans of more adventurous
fusions. ~ Richie Unterberger