Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


Green River Ordinance, Chasing Down the Wind EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Green River Ordinance
Chasing Down the Wind EP



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 7 tracks: 27 minutes, 3 seconds
Street Date: June 18, 2013


In the early days of rock n' roll, it was customary and expected that a band or artist would release multiple albums per year, tour year-round and appear on television and in movies at the same time. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Elvis and others of this era released more new music in one year than some modern bands put out in ten. This break-neck pace no doubt contributed to the high burnout and mortality rate of many of the legends of rock n' roll, but the music of that era still sounds great. Sometimes, if an artist or band takes too long to write new music, the resulting album sounds over-cooked and over-thought. There is something about writing in a constant stream of motion that seems to capture the best stuff.

Independent Texas rockers Green River Ordinance have released (according to their Wikipedia page) eight collections of music (two albums and six shorter EP's) in the last four years, and the argument could be made that they are striking while the iron is hot.

The band's latest EP (defined as a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full studio album), Chasing Down The Wind, does exactly what an EP should, and that is to explore an aspect of an artist's sound in a way that is interesting over the course of a few songs, but would be wearisome if stretched out to more than ten songs. In this case, the aspect of that sound would be defined as "country," though the definition of that genre of music has always been a bit murky. Chasing Down The Wind sounds like honest country music, the kind that ranchers and farmers down south would listen to fifty years ago, and not the commercial stuff that populates the radio nowadays.

Opener "Cannery River" hits all the marks for a great, soulful county waltz; the Civil War era fiddles, the geographical reference, the romantic lyrics about walking by the water with the one you love. Lead singer Josh Jenkins comes by his Texas twang honestly, and the more paced nature of this tune milks every slow syllable and acoustic guitar strum.

The following tune, "It Ain't Love," speeds up the tempo a bit, and makes good use of the mandolin and banjo to set the tone. In a neat switch of the traditional bar room song, the lyrics paint a picture of the things that people who populate bar rooms are really looking for: the deeper need behind drunkenness and one-night stands. "Any old fool can dress it up and play the part, but it ain't love if it can't break your heart." "Better Love" is a great gospel song that states wonderfully that "the greatest gift to give a man is to give him grace to live again." Clever wordplay like this, backed by traditional instrumental prowess, makes the songs on Chasing Down The Wind great companions for a humid summer night on the back porch.

It would be easy to dismiss songs with a banjo and a bit of a twang in the vocals as simple, but Green River Ordinance digs a bit deeper than first listen might indicate. The Country Music leanings on Chasing Down The Wind are worn well by Green River Ordinance, and over the course of seven songs, they make the most of the music that Texans love best. The electric guitars and alt-rock stylings will no doubt make a re-appearance on the next full-length album, but for a few songs on this EP, Green River Ordinance makes great, soulful, slower music.

- Review date: 6/17/13, written by Alex "Tincan" Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

 

. Record Label: None
. Album length: 7 tracks: 27 minutes, 3 seconds
. Street Date: June 18, 2013
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. Cannery River (4:22)
  2. It Ain't Love (4:07)
  3. When My Days Are Done (3:54)
  4. Flying (3:25)
  5. She Is in the Air (3:59)
  6. Better Love (2:57)
  7. Fool for You (4:19)

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment


 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Empowered SALT - EP (independent)
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Joe L Barnes Good Shepherd (Studio Version) - Single [Provident]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
CXMMXNS Trust and Obey (feat. CAIN) - Single [Provident]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Matt Maher Wait (Radio Version) - Single [Provident]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Rave Jesus Runnin' - Single [Provident]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
Michael W. Smith Your Love Is A Flood - Single [The Fuel]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images