Victor Wainwright - Victor Wainwright And The Train

It had to be a train. The name of Victor Wainwright�s new band � and the sleeve image of their debut album � is also the most fitting of metaphors. At a sweet-spot in his career, where most established stars would rest on their laurels, Victor Wainwright & The Train instead rips up all that has gone before. These twelve tracks are originals in every sense, written by Wainwright, pricking up ears in a sterile music industry and stretching the concept of roots in bold directions. �I wanted to write this new music mostly on my own, as it was coming and speaking to me,� explains this multiple BMA-winner and frequent infiltrator of the Billboard Top 10. �I believe that for roots music to grow, and reach out to new audiences, we have to push it forward.�The result is an album that walks a tightrope between scholarly respect and anarchic irreverence. It�s a musical cocktail served up by Wainwright�s inimitable gravel-flecked vocal. �I�ve tried to write songs that remind us to love ourselves,� he considers. �It doesn�t matter who voted for who, what your religion is, who you love�� On this white-knuckle ride, only The Train could keep the material on the tracks. �I ended up with a hit-squad of downright amazing musicians,� he reflects, �that shared my curiosity for all corners of the roots genre. We wanted to capture how we feel performing, right smack-dab on this record, and I believe we�ve done that. Now I just try to keep up��