Great Divide

As its band name implies, Great Divide evokes memories of the classic Americana of The Band, whose "Across the Great Divide" remains one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs to paint a picture of an era not just bygone but quite possibly that never was. The romanticism in the instrumentation of this Chicago-based band makes Great Divide an authentic heir to the bands the members love. "Moorie"—with its legitimate horn section, juke-joint piano, soulful lead vocal, and period-correct backing vocals, featuring gospel singers from Chicago's south side—sounds like a tune that fell off the second side of Van Morrison's Moondance. This self-titled second album builds off the lessons of the group's 2010 debut, Reservoir. It was recorded largely in four days at Milwaukee's Third Ward Studios, with follow-up sessions in Chicago and Rockford, Ill. Typical of the modern music industry, the band relied entirely on a Kickstarter campaign to finance this album. It's for the best, since songs such as "Holiday," "Autumn Leaves," and "Fast Train" (evoking The Beatles' "I've Got a Feeling" in the opening guitar licks) deserve to be presented just as singer Teddy Grossman and Great Divide envisioned them.