(Joy Ride) It's taken Austin based band, The Damnations, four years to finally release the follow-up to their 1998 debut, Half Mad Moon. Their latest disc, Where It Lands, was actually recorded in 2000, but unfortunately they were signed with Sire, which was ultimately merged with London, leaving both the band and their finished project in limbo. When it was decided that the band wasn't going to fit in with the label's plans, The Damnations were able to secure, along with their release from the label, the master tapes of the album. They decided to start their own label, and released Where It Lands themselves.

After such a long wait, neither The Damnations or Where It Lands disappoints. There have been some changes since the album was recorded though. When Half Mad Moon was recorded, Keith Langford was on drums, though only on loan from The Gourds. Keith returned to the Gourds, and was replaced on drums by Conrad Choucroun for the recording of Where It Lands. However, Conrad's since left the band, and as yet, they haven't found a permanent replacement and are using fill-in drummers. The rest of the stellar lineup remains intact though, with Amy Boone on bass and vocals, sister Deborah Kelly on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Rob Bernard on guitars, banjo, mandolin and vocals. The other change you'll notice is that the "TX" suffix has been dropped from the band's name. Sire had made them add the "TX" to differentiate them from a rock band with the same name. However, now that they have their own label, they're now calling the shots and voted to go back to their original name.

The Damnations bring many influences with them to the table, primarily country, punk, folk and rock and meld them all together into their own unique sound. Bassist Amy Boone says, "The concept of genres is an afterthought with this band." Guitarist Rob Bernard goes on to explain that their influences are blending together, "You can't just pick out country and punk. I think we've really evolved the sound to where it draws on a lot of different things and it's its own thing." All three members contribute lead vocals and write the band's songs. Five Boone-Kelly collaborations, and three Bernard songs make up Where It Lands, in addition to three well chosen and outstanding covers, showing their wide ranging influences.

Rob takes lead vocal duties on his "Roots On," which is more than a tip of the hat to Doug Sahm, and who's rhythm line sounds like a slightly rougher version of Sahm's own "She's A Mover." Later on, they follow it up with an outstanding rocking, honky tonking cover of Doug's "Wanna Be Your Mama," that includes some great harmonies. "All Night Special" has a slightly grittier, updated Byrds/Mamas And The Papas SoCal feel to it. Amy and Deborah put in some awesome harmony vocals on the gritty, alt-country-rock "Quarter In The Couch" and the raggedly rustic "Bloodhound." "Time To Go Home" is a soulful, country-rock ballad where the melody builds as the song goes on. The Bernard penned "Tora, Tora, Tora" is a rustically exotic instrumental, and he takes lead vocal once again on the third song he contributes, "Animal Children," a hypnotic song that has more than a bit of a John Lennon influence.

"New Hope Cemetery" is a real standout that comes blasting full throttle out of the speakers. This one will make you think they've discovered a long lost "X" song, and takes you back to those days where country and punk collided in all it's double-time vocal, drum pounding and guitar wailing glory. They excellently cover the Minutemen's "Corona" in much the same way...some high-speed cowpunk going on here. Lastly, there's their breathtaking and hauntingly gorgeous cover of Kevin Russell's (The Gourds) "Steeple Full Of Swallows," that couldn't be more perfect.

All three members are strong songwriters, not leaving many stones unturned in their influences. All three are strong vocalists, Rob with his gritty edge, and both Amy and Deborah can convey plenty of hard-as-nails attitude, and then turn around on a dime and deliver the most angelic harmonies you'll ever hear. Where It Lands is most definitely a genre-bender, The Damnations are one heck of a talented band, and both are a most welcome and enjoyable breath of fresh air.

www.damnations.com