From Different Mothers - Kickin' Up Dust

From Different Mothers

Kickin' Up Dust
​self-released; 2020

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

From Different Mothers is a band from Los Angeles that recently released Kickin' Up Dust. The band are two friends who have known each other for a long time from what I gather. I surmise that’s why the band is called what it is. 

The songs are on the warmer side with introspective lyrics sometimes about loss, sometimes about gratitude and sometimes about hope. They start with “For the Rest of our Love” and it is certainly one of the more uplifting and joyful songs. The song is full of instrumentation from organ to lap steel guitar.

Up next is “Today” and it is one of the highlights. This song was a little more neutral in terms of mood. I was getting a little different vibe here and was reminded of The Beatles. The songs have a lot of space and the vocals sound especially good.

The song “I sold our home Today” is much more melancholy in terms of mood and is the first ballad. It’s fairly bare with acoustic guitar and vocals being the main elements. I really loved the beginning of “To My Younger Self” and it is more reflective than melancholy although the mood at points certainly feels somber.

Once I got to “Lifetime Love Affair” I was ready for a more energized number similar to “For the Rest of our Love'' to get my blood pumping again. That wasn’t the case. “Lifetime Love Affair” is very much a sentimental song about long lasting romantic love.

The energy rises with “Clockwise” but it’s subtle. I have to wonder if “The Refinance Song” was a followup to “I sold our home Today” - I’m half joking. I think “The Refinance Song” was my favorite song in the batch but it sounded a bit out of place. The song is more traditional folk and often goes into bluegrass territory. They go into Americana classic rock mode with “Another Desperate Man.”

The sequencing of the songs on this album had a number of hard left turns along with clumps in the middle that could have benefited from some energy. My guess is that the emphasis was more on the individual songs than the cohesion. I think the songs individually were very strong. In fact I liked all of them.

​Overall, I thought this was a good album and I have to admit the intent behind the songs warmed my heart. They are old friends who make some good music. Recommended.

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