Dive Bar Saints

Dive bars wouldnt seem to be a natural habitat for Home Free, the a cappella country group who rose to fame by winning the televised musical competition The Sing-Off back in 2013. Dive Bar Saints proves that suspicion through. On this collection of 12 songs, Home Free remains a genial glee club quintet who are congenitally allergic to grit and uncomfortable feelings. When they sing I cant recall drinking this red wine on a Wednesday night on Catch Me If You Can, its hard not suspect that its merely a glass of merlot. Still, Home Frees calling card is their friendliness, an element they certainly retain on Dive Bar Saints, even if they attempt to stretch themselves artistically by largely relying on original material and avoiding the temptation to push their percolating cheer to the foreground. Compared to their other records, this is subdued and contemplative, music for somebody on the verge of heartbreak. After a half decade of good cheer, such reassuring introspection is welcome. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine