The stately country-pop piano that animates the verses of "Fast Driver" is something of a ruse. It's so easygoing (think Bruce Hornsby-style mellow) that at first it seems to work against an otherwise edgy tune that concerns a hit-and-run lover and the confused dude she left behind.
But Bob Manor -- chief vocalist and songwriter of The Getaway Drivers -- knows what he's doing in this track from their new self-titled album. Those pleasant keyboard figures set up the song's urgent chorus about as well as anything could. It's the fuse that smolders before Manor's controlled explosion of confusion, regret and emotion. Consequently, when he sings "She left her red dress under my bed/And she disappeared," you don't just get a love 'em and leave 'em trope, you get a sense of a starry-eyed lover in free fall.
Simply put, it's quite a trick. Not to mention a strong indication that Manor and the Drivers plan on busting out well beyond the alt-country ghetto in which they currently linger.
A MP3 of the track is available in the related downloads at right. More music by The Getaway Drivers can be found on their MySpace page.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
