Dancing Under Water,
Freakwater's first long-player, is insurgent
country music for people who believe that the film Deliverance says more about the true nature of rural folks than it does about the fears and prejudices of city dwellers. The songs, just under half of which are original, fixate on the
folk traditions of murder ballads and "dead child" songs, performed simply with ragged duet harmonies in a modern approximation of
the Carter Family. The difference between
Freakwater and the
early country artists who performed similar material is that
Freakwater approaches (and, in some cases, writes) these songs from an ironic distance with an
indie rock perspective. Some listeners may wish that
Catherine Irwin and
Janet Beveridge Bean had practiced their vocal parts a few more times before committing them to tape, but the general audience for this music will relish its naïve primitivism. The pedal steel and Dobro, contributed by
John Spiegel and
John Rice, add a professional touch, although the cover of
George Jones' minor hit "You're Still on My Mind" shows that the group is better off when they avoid straight
country. Other covers include
Jon Anderson's number one hit "Wild and Blue" (also recorded by
the Mekons around this time) and
Bill Monroe's "Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake." Dancing Under Water was originally paired with
Freakwater's self-titled debut mini-album for CD release, but was reissued by Thrill Jockey in 1997 without the bonus. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
