the avett brothers true sadnessSounds from this band bring you right back in the history of American music. This is folk music from the years of its birth. The Avett Brothers have gone a long way towards showing that in twenty-first century music there is still a space for roots rock. Once again über producer Rick Rubin is there and this time he has managed to do the seemingly impossible. There is a track called “True Sadness” that is pretty much a pop song. It is not a tree lost in the forest either. Several tracks have a very modern sound to them. That is without abandoning what they have built their career upon. You get some funk, EDM, Auto-Tune, electronics and psychedelic pop beats. Taking it all in is a little overwhelming. There is too much. Too much tinkering and layering for the simplicity of the songs. That was what was appreciated about the band; that they kept things simple with lyrics about broken hearts accompanied by a guitar or banjo. “Ain’t No Man” is one of the few tracks on the album that remains true to the path forged by the band. It is authentic and loads of fun. Maybe once you polish up The Avett Brothers too much it loses what is great about them – the rawness and honesty. Let’s hope there is a return to that soon.