By Matthew J Rogers

Succeeding as a mainstream country music duo has its obstacles. One might even say that it’s virtually impossible for an unsigned act nowadays to match the resounding success of the genre’s leading twosomes. Needless to say, there’s some stiff competition. Rancho Deluxe is somewhere in between what works and what doesn’t, and the tracks on the group’s latest release, True Freedom, illustrate this strange dichotomy.

Lyrically, the record is quite sharp, and will certainly appeal to the type of crowds that enjoy actually having to think about songs’ meanings. But ambiguity isn’t the typical country fan’s cup of tea, so a number of these well-crafted ditties are bound to get lost in the shuffle along the way. Maintaining a peaceful, droning vibe throughout the record is most likely the group’s attempt to generate a trademark sound, and it does have the potential to work very well. However, it’s a bit overdone here, and consequently, the record lacks a set of balls. The only real boot-stompers are instrumentals. Admirable, yes, but not necessarily practical. Also, the continuous use of paired harmonies for entire songs has them wandering uncomfortably close to Big & Rich territory, and it is foreseeable that many listeners will draw comparisons.

Overall, True Freedom is a rather charming, relaxing piece of work. But success on the country music scene requires a little less lull and a lot more loud.