There’s nothing cheap about this excellent debut from a trio of musicians whose ten songs bleed with a rustic Americana charm.
Cheap Jeep consists of a trio of musicians whose origins come from three separate continents. Guitar player Tom Dockray hails originally from Tasmania, while mandolin player Rick Hauchman is from North Carolina, with both moving to Denmark around ten years ago. It was here they met local upright bass player Mads Bendsen, and collectively they create a sound that inhabits a rustic, acoustic Americana vibe, incorporating all the traditions of folk, bluegrass and country, whilst maintaining a unique identity thanks in the main to a songcraft that is both fearless and carefree, totally unconcerned by genre boundaries.
Prior to the release of this debut album, the trio had released three EPs, the first in 2024, and since then they have been building a formidable reputation as a live act, with their three-part vocal harmonies, resonator guitar, mandolin and upright bass delivering a slice of uncompromising Americana, replete with quirky 7/4 time signatures, Cuban rhythmic detours and narratives that take a curious outlook on the world, using offbeat humour to ask many of life’s deeper questions.
The album opener, Bells and Whistles, delivers a sweet melodic refrain that doffs its cap to The Beatles with an upbeat narrative on the challenges of parenting, immediately highlighting the trio’s musical prowess, while the following number, Concrete and Steel, is a real gem, with a darker, brooding feel in arrangement and storyline, on feeling unseen and overlooked as an artist, but also on the persistence of constantly turning up and keeping believing. From the opening jazz-infused notes of the upright bass through to the sublime vocal harmonies, this song manages to create an anthemic vibe despite its relatively short playing time. The title track has a distinct John Prine flavour to it with its humorous lyrical narrative, while the reflective All The Songs I Wrote About You could just be the perfect love song, as it recognises the challenges that come with building a life together, delivered without a hint of saccharine but with a whole dose of sincerity.
Elsewhere, Strap me to a Rocket was written the week leading up to Donald Trump’s first election victory, with its sardonic narrative betraying the disbelief felt by so many, while both Days Like These and Together Alone offer a gentler reflection: the former celebrating the honesty of childhood, the latter dealing with the feeling of isolation, where again the musicality of the three musicians, along with the sweetest of harmonies, enhances the listening experience. A frantic change of pace accompanies Got Your Back, dazzling mandolin playing underpinning a story of racism in Australia, reflecting awareness of the historical treatment of Native Australians, their cultures and traditions. It is a powerful and poignant reminder of how ignorance continues to breed prejudice and fear around the globe.
The album closes with two of its oldest songs, with These Lines, originally released by the duo Space Dudes, of which Dockray and Hauchman were part, more than warranting its place on this album, while the final track, Coal Train Blues, written approximately ten years ago, proves the perfect end song.
With Weather Lady, Cheap Jeep have found a sweet spot within the Americana genre, where an offbeat narrative approach comfortably grapples with life’s biggest questions, wielding tenderness, reflection, and unpretentious honesty, while the inventiveness and bravery of the musicality ensure a listening experience that continues to deliver with each repeated listen, making the album worthy of the attention of any serious Americana music fan.
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