Keep

We all need a new call to action. A new jolt of optimism. If you will, a New Reveille. Especially those of us who know the power of music as it once was… before computers started smoothing rough edges, before writers fell into step with paeans to parties and beer and the like, songs could cast spells. They could change the way people thought and felt. They touched on life and death. They were real — as real as the five-piece ensemble known as New Reveille. On The Keep, New Reveille’s distinctive talents find common ground in traditions that stretch back to and beyond early America. On that foundation, through their varied gifts, they build a unique sound that encompasses the virtues of music that came before and the promise of what it might yet become. Their sound: Amy Kamm on lead vocals, Daniel Cook on banjo and guitar, George Hage on guitar, Autumn Brand on violin — an Americana lineup so far. But there’s also Kaitlin Grady on cello, adding a classical element, combining with Autumn in mini-orchestral textures and melodies. Cook’s banjo avoids flashy patterns, instead harks back to a pre-bluegrass era. As for the vocals, Kamm dances deftly between artful interpretive solo parts and three-part female harmonies that somehow soar, caress, and electrify all at once.