Continental Drifters
Continental Drifters (Monkey Hill)
by Marc Hirsh

originally published in the Public News, December 27, 1995

This enjoyable album of not-quite-country rock is somewhat surprising considering the higher-profile members of the band. Vicki Peterson and Peter Holsapple spent their formative years in the Bangles and the dB's and toured in recent years with the Go-Go's and R.E.M., none of whom are known for their strong roots-consciousness.

Still, the journey from the pure pop of those bands to the more rustic charms of Continental Drifters doesn't seem to have been a difficult one. Besides, the real leaders of the band are singers Carlo Nuccio and Susan Cowsill, who provide the rural authenticity that Holsapple and Peterson lack. Instead, the latter two offer up the pop smarts keeping the songs interesting.

The best songs are delivered by the women, especially Cowsill, whose Sheryl Crow-like voice suits "I Can't Make It Alone" just fine. Cowsill also provides the album's highlight, the superb original "Desperate Love." For her part, Peterson floats nicely through a Michael Nesmith cover and her own "Mixed Messages," a lovely pop number whose only fault lies in the absence of Susanna Hoffs in the backing vocals.

The men in the band don't fare quite as well. A little of Nuccio's voice goes a long way, and Holsapple's cover of "Soul Deep" only wades in the shallow end. Still, Holsapple redeems himself on the crackling "Invisible Boyfriend." The band comes together for "Highway of the Saints," where each of the singers gets a verse to him- or herself, coming together for the chorus. It's a nice display of group effort, proving that the Continental Drifters are a real band, not just a hodgepodge of talented individuals.

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