As a title,
Skeletons suggests a bare-bones album, but that's hardly what
Brothers Osborne deliver here. Now on their third album, the duo feel comfortable in their skin, which means they're happy to ratchet up both the rock and disco without losing their down-home identity. While blending all these different sounds is a delicate balancing act,
Brothers Osborne make it sound easy, blurring the distinctions between styles within the songs themselves. This dexterity is pushed into the forefront on the record's opening cut, "Lighten Up," an ambling slice of futuristic country-funk that carves out space for an arena-rock guitar solo, setting the stage for the glittery throb of "All Night." The brothers can also rev it up, as on the breakneck instrumental "Muskrat Greene," and they settle into an updated
Haggard-esque groove with "Back on the Bottle," but they're smart enough to slow things down on occasion, letting "High Note" glide by on its gentle melody. It's varied but subtle, tied together by the band's laid-back yet idiosyncratic charm. Maybe it's true that
Brothers Osborne aren't quite for everyone, an admission they shrug off early on the album, but the great thing about
Skeletons is how it sounds like they're appealing to wide quadrants of rock, pop, country, and Americana audiences without sounding like anything but themselves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
