Something Real

Love, friendship, and freedom are recurring subjects on Underhill Rose’s Something Real. On the Asheville, N.C., trio’s sophomore album, members Eleanor Underhill, Molly Rose Reed, and Salley Williamson achieve a mellifluent harmony blend while serving up an appealing fusion of folk, blues, and old-time country. A warm camaraderie pervades the album, evident in the shared lead vocal and songwriting duties and the trio’s overall chemistry. Underhill’s banjo, Reed’s fiddle, and Williamson’s upright bass form the core of the band’s sound, captured with clarity by producer Cruz Contreras. Cheerfully rustic numbers like “Helpless Wanderer” and “Little House” ripple along with the sparkle of a mountain stream, offering contrast to the downbeat country balladry of “Drives Me to Drinking” and “Unused to You.” A survivor’s stubborn resolve is evident here, heard in tracks like “Bare Little Rooms” and the title tune. Whether they’re offering tributes to loyal friends (“They Got My Back”) or commenting on growing older (“The End of 27”), Underhill Rose display a downhome wisdom filled with gratitude and playful humor.