Like a Cohen Brothers fantasy, Rancho Tee Motel evokes a distinct era on their first album, Deep Water. From the pink-tufted cacti of the album art by Molly Reeves to its steel pedal-laced, swing-inflected rhythm, we’re transported to the dreamscape of the retro southwest. Deep Water features bandleader Tasha Powers on bass and vocals; Ella Inglebret on vocals and fiddle; Aaron Gunn on fiddle and vocals; Pete Rozé on guitar and vocals, Spencer Knapp on drums, and Nikolai Shveitser on pedal steel guitar. 

I’m sure there are bands from the country/Americana scene tapping into this style, but it’s refreshing to hear a band with members predominantly rooted in the New Orleans jazz scene venture across that forbidden line between country and city to show that it’s all the same. Western swing may project different imagery, it may feature different instruments, but it draws from the same wellspring of heartbreak, love, loss, and empty pockets as any jazz standard. It can really swing, too, as this band ably demonstrates.

They straddle the genre line by choosing Western swing favorites like “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” and “Deep Water” and by choosing songs like Irving Berlin’s “Walking Stick” and James P. Johnson’s “Old Fashioned Love,” both of which started out as jazz tunes before finding their way to the dusty side of the tracks. The vocals are charming with gentle supporting harmonies and the musicianship is laid back, but assured. Deep Water is a hearty debut for Rancho Tee Motel.