Will of the Water is aptly named. Water, like electricity, finds the path of least resistance; it moves, bends, and flows. There is a natural flow to this album, that carries its 11 songs forward. Perhaps born from the band’s collective interpretations of the world around them, the album marks 25 years of creating music together without ever sounding as though it is looking backward. Make no mistake: this is not an album clinging to the past. It is deeply embedded in the present. The album is the only Railroad Earth album to date featuring Mike Robinson, Dave Speranza, and Matt Slocum, who join founding members Todd Sheaffer, Tim Carbone, John Skehan, and Carey Harmon.
That sense of the present is evident from the lead off track, “Everything Keeps Changing,” (feat. Phoffman of Greensky Bluegrass) where reflection is rooted in the reality of still playing in the band. While the themes of change and experience run strongly throughout the album, we can never truly know where a lyric originates. Still, I can’t help but wonder if the line, “Some days you’re chasin’ chickens around,” from Let the River Flow is a playful and humorous nod to the chicken-related accident Tim Carbone experienced around the time the album was recorded. The album was recorded at Fort Nonesense, a studio built by Todd Sheaffer.
The album immediately takes a dark turn with “Keep Your Eyes Open” (feat. Daniel Donato), feeling like a warning of what lies ahead both in life and within this album. With no pun intended, consider this a trigger warning for anyone who has experienced gun violence or suicidal ideation: “Give Me the Gun” cuts deep. It is hauntingly beautiful, propelled by an almost joyful gallop that stands in contrast to its devastating lyrics. That tension is what makes the song so powerful between the crooning and bellowing. It doesn’t simply tug at the heart; it’s a direct hit to the soul.
Several songs in the heart of the album explore profoundly deep connections while reflecting on the emotions that come with growing up, growing older, and ultimately facing the consequences of the lives we’ve lived. As “Good Bones” suggests with the lyric, “You can’t run away, you gotta face it,” there comes a point when we have to confront what we’ve carried, being the ultimate solution to leaving the past behind us. The ebbs and flows and the ways our lives remain interconnected through love come into focus across these songs.
Moving through life together is just what the Hobos and Railroad Earth do. “Whiskey Train” is a mammoth expression of gratitude to all the Hobos who have stuck with the band along the way. “Raise a glass to all the Hobos” becomes more than a lyric. It’s a celebration of the shared 25-year journey, to the miles traveled and the community built along this Railroad Earth. Despite the album’s darker examination, closing out the album with the last two songs ending on a note of joy, is not only welcome, but necessary. This is a band willing to dance in the shadows, but they will never leave you there. Instead, they bring you safely back reminding us in title track and album closer, “Will of the Water,” to “follow the beat alive in your heart, till we meet again.”
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