Ten Mile Tide – S/T / 2005 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.tenmiletide.com / Reviewed 22 February 2006

The style of music that Ten Mile Tide come out with on the first tracks of this self-titled disc sound like a mixture of jam bands, Dave Matthews and Chris Rice. This means that there is a wide array of instruments that the band uses to create their sound, but tracks here have a polish to them that shows great cohesion amongst the disparate elements. During every track on this album, Ten Mile Tide infuse their music with a catchiness that will have individuals singing these songs over and over again; added to this is the inclusion of strings and other more classical type of instruments.

This really puts the band on equal footing in regards to talent and ability. What Ten Mile Tide brings to the table is the skill to actually have extended songs – five and six minutes – that keep individuals involved throughout. What really limits a number of the bands that take on the jam tradition is the lack of connection with their audience. Sure, individuals can point to the individuals nodding their heads but most of these bands only play to individuals on the most superficial level. Ten Mile Tide come through during tracks like “Find Your Own Way Home” with influences that range the gamut from Cat Stevens to Jimmy Buffet and John Denver; couple that with a freshness that really makes the band work in a 2006 context and one has a success of a disc on their hands.

Ten Mile Tide also show how to work a crowd properly; the guitar solo present in a track like “Find Your Own Way Home” is full of energy but maintains the same laid back nature present on the rest of the track. By infusing “Miss Those Days” with an even more laid back sound than the rest of the tracks on this disc, Ten Mile Tide seem to pull out some country influence to match well with their dedication to the Dave Matthews school of things. The presence of the bass guitar during “Dandelions” is perhaps the best shift in the band’s sound in this late section of the disc. To hear the tense relationship between the strings and the bass is to really hear beauty in chaos. Even for individuals that would not find solace in this genre, Ten Mile Tide will win masses over with their easy-going sound and devotion to a talented sound that never departs from this album.

Top Tracks: Dandelions, 63

Rating: 6.9/10

[JMcQ]