Joe Stickley’s Blue Print

Hailing from St. Louis, Joe Stickley’s Blue Print is a folk-rock
band — in that order. The gentle strums of Stickley’s acoustic
guitar provide the engine for many songs on Smoke Leaves Town,
while shuffling drums, quavering fiddle and the reedy wheeze of an
accordion add color and depth throughout. There’s a bucolic whimsy that
breezes through the record; lyrics about big rivers, road trips and
mountain ranges plant the listener on the front porch, glass of
lemonade in hand. Stickley’s high, thin voice doesn’t always leave a
mark, but on songs such as the opening cut, “Davy,” he can make his
vocals creak and ache in just the right places. He also modulates his
singing to suit a song’s style, such as in the banjo-led lullaby “La La
Yee,” a duet with Springfield, Missouri-based singer Cindy Woolf that’s
sweet in a syrupy kind of way. The rock aspect of the band’s sound pops
up less frequently, though songs like “The Road” employ a rushing
rhythm and some electric guitar. A Southern-rock swagger comes through
on “Sittin’ by the Fire,” as a ragged slide guitar and thick organ
chords provide a launching pad for Stickley (and his backup singers).
It’s the best song on this album by some distance, and it proves that
the group can put some muscle behind its sound — not only with
volume and rock-and-roll dynamics but also with spirited playing and
audible passion.