When I first heard the opening tracks of "Lowcountry", I got the impression that Andy Lehman & The Night Moves had been around for a while. Their mature sound definitely had me fooled into thinking that they had been touring and recording for some time, certainly not only since 2007 and certainly not a group of only twenty-something's. So first impressions were good. Rock music at its purest; acoustic storytelling in every sense. Hailing from South Carolina, USA, Andy Lehman & The Night Moves have been slowly gaining popularity, particularly with their apparently amazing intimate live shows. They really seem to believe in taking their audience on a memorable journey with them. Hence their decision to release this full-length conceptual album exploring a story of love, commitment, jealousy and just the general emotions that come with a turbulent relationship.

'Ally Went Back' kicks the story off, or should I say finishes the story as we learn along the way of the supposed events that will lead up to this point. Ally, our main character, has gone missing and all we know is that she met a boy....and so the story unravels. The production on this album is top-notch. The vocals are beautifully surreal and the narrative really works, with the subtle sound that emanates from Mr Lehman’s’ vocal chords, you believe in every word he says. We follow the story further and learn of the boys’ character and how he’s growing more attached to Ally. 'An Arrow Flew' is the falling in love part of the story with its extra sweet lyrics, “it’s been so long since a love song’s been on my lips, and I won’t abandon it”. What may be too sickly for some people, will surely satisfy the more sensitive and romantic ones of us.

The Country influence can be heard in a lot of tracks, for example 'I Smelled You On The Breeze' seems to have a Garth Brooks reflective feel to it; echoed crooning and gentle strumming gently guide you through the next chapter. A welcome change to all the crooning however is the more up-tempo 'Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing'. The boy starts crazily stalking his lover and so this is depicted in a more intense and passionate hard-rock effort. We hear for the first time, electric guitar accompanied by a stronger vocal performance from Andy. You can almost hear a young Maynard James Keenan in there somewhere – a definite highlight of the album.

As the boy ends up on the run and Ally thinks of returning home (refer to 'Ally Went Back') the story concludes in a puff of contemplative smoke. There’s nothing too complex here; if you’re looking for lunatic guitar solos, vocal acrobatics and drum fills that will make your ears bleed...then this isn’t for you. If you enjoy the delicate, intriguing and thoughtful side to acoustic rock music, than you will appreciate the mega effort that these guys have made. Andy Lehman & The Night Moves have spent a long time creating this powerful story and creating what they believe to be the perfect soundtrack for it. Fans of the more melancholic Brand New tunes will soak up the passion and struggle, but others will shrug their shoulders and think it’s a bit too Dawson’s Creek for them.