New name, same great roots rock

Reviewed December 2006

While the name "The Hideaways" may not be familiar on San Diego's music scene, the band itself is. A recent legal tangle left longtime roots rockers Whiskey Tango in search of a new handle. Hideaways it is.

But in a nod to their own past, the band has titled what is apparently its debut CD "The Whiskey Tango Sessions."

It's a tight, focused set, with its dozen tracks taking in country, country-rock and folk-rock. With arrangements that provide plush-pile harmonies yet leave plenty of room for solos, The Hideaways and producer Tyler Macy have created a warm, clean sound. Each instrument, every singer comes through crystal clear.

The songwriting credits are split pretty evenly between bassist/singer Phil Bensimon, guitarist/singer Rian Greene and guitarist/singer Keith Haman. Each apparently sings his own songs, and with all three being strong vocalists the contrast in voices provides a nice change of pace over the course of the album.

The songs themselves are attractive, melodic country and pop tunes. The musicianship is top-flight; combine it all, and you've got one of the better countrified albums to come out of San Diego in recent years.

Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).