Discovering American Music with D.B. Rielly

If you were looking for an introduction to American roots music, you could do alot worse than New York based singer/songwriter D.B. Rielly. I'm willing to say that there aren't many types of southern-based American music that Rielly can't play and on his most recent album, Love Potions and Snake Oil, Rielly touches base on an almost exhausting number of domestic musical genres. From zydeco to the blues, rockabilly to hillbilly, Rielly leaves few stones unturned in his mission to enlighten the masses on the wealth of amazing styles of American bred music.
What's so great about Rielly though is not just his versatility but also how proficient of a songwriter he truly is. Love Potions may not sound like an album full of original compositions, seeing as how each song sounds familiar based on their roots in root music, but that's what's so fantastic about Rielly's song writing ability - he crafts songs that are both familiar and unique.
Love Potions and Snake Oil is a compelling debut by an intriguing artist. The physical release of the album comes in a cool little tin case with a label that makes it out to look like an old pill box. Once you start listening to the compact disc inside, you realize the major influences of Rielly were around when these types of pill boxes were en vogue. The sounds of the disc soon play out like a trip across the country, making stops in various spots around America. The accordion filled album opener, “One of These Days (You’re Gonna Realize)” starts things off with a touch of Louisiana. Right off the bat Rielly showcases his ability to play a number of varied instruments. “Don’t Give Up On Me,” moves things westward to southern Texas, featuring a slowed down Spanish flavored ballad. The country-fried “Loving You Again,” is a taste of classic country and “Changed My Mind” is pure banjo-paced delta blues. The emotionally charged “Got a Mind” may be my favorite track on the album. When Rielly snarls the line “I know it’s a sin but I don’t care/I’ll see him burn in hell,” it proves that Rielly, despite his play it by the numbers approach to a huge variety of music, doesn’t sound a bit formulaic when it comes to the emotion behind his lyrics.