A challenge to the reader: determine the genre of this CD. This usually isn’t a difficult task, but with “North,” you’ll certainly have your hands full. The opening track, “Black River Bridge,” leads you to believe Tim Emmerick & Cold Front Country is a rock band. The second and third songs, “Fall to the Leaves” and “This Time Last Year,” take a turn to the alternative side, closely resembling the style of Ben Folds, and by the time you reach the sixth track, “Chapter and Verse,” the fiddle in the background might tempt you to classify the CD as Country. But don’t worry, you’ll quickly change your mind (again) after the seventh track, “Littletown Blues,” and decide you’re listening to classic rock CD and for the tenth track “Pricks and Drag Queens” plays, you might detect a hint of punk rock.
It’s possible this album has created a genre of its own: folk-country-classic-punk-alternative-rock, perhaps? For those who suffer from a touch of ADD, this CD might manage to keep you entertained. Each song has a completely different style from the one before it. The only underlying similarity between each track on the album is the nature of the lyrics. Tim Emmerick’s lyrics are original, to say the least. All of the songs are narratives and tell a specific story. You won’t hear any clich