Simmerkane II is the debut solo album by Chadwick Stokes, who is known as Chad Stokes when performing as the drummer in Dispatch.
The album cover depicts three pairs of work shoes on the feet of three reclining figures in the back of an open freight car in a train traveling through the country, and that's a hint that this is a concept album in which Stokes reflects on a journey of train-hopping across the U.S.
There isn't an overall narrative, but the songs' stories are full of references to travel.
More important is the musical feel; this is spirited folk-rock, earnestly performed with catchy choruses sung in Stokes' throaty voice over a group of backup vocalists that includes Carly Simon.
It doesn't sound like Dispatch, for the most part, but it is similarly kinetic.
The album is also available in a deluxe version that adds a second disc containing three bonus tracks.
On these songs, Stokes is accompanied by the Refugee All Stars, a group of musicians displaced from Sierra Leone to Guinea during their country's civil war.
The music is, if anything, even more compelling, particularly "All My Possessions (Ode to Troy)," set to a reggae beat, which, perhaps not coincidentally, is the closest thing to a Dispatch number on the disc.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AdelaideChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Crowbar HotelChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Back to the RacesChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | InsulinChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Religion on the Rails (I Saw You There)Chadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Black BottleChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Ichabod and AbrahamChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | I Love Your ArmyChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Spider and GiomaChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Coffee and WineChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | All My Possessions (Ode to Troy)Chadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Don't Have YouChadwick Stokes | Chadwick Stokes | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Rainsong | Chadwick Stokes, State Radio | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 58 mins | 133 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Adams | Chamberlin, Farfisa Organ, Organ, Piano |
| 2 | Stewart Cole | Trumpet |
| 3 | Lauren Coleman | Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | John Dragonetti | Bass, Drums, Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, Producer, Sounds, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Matthew Embree | Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Farmer Dave | Organ, Piano, Sounds |
| 7 | Nick Fullergoogins | Drawing, Photography |
| 8 | Sybil Gallagher | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Glynnis | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | JJ Golden | Mastering |
| 11 | Blake Hazard | Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Jimmy Parr | Engineer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background) |
| 13 | Matt Perdoni | Drawing, Photography |
| 14 | Alex Reiser | Bass |
| 15 | John Rummen | Graphic Design, Layout |
| 16 | Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars | Featured Artist |
| 17 | Carly Simon | Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Chadwick Stokes | Accordion, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Primary Artist, Producer, Pump Organ, Trombone, Vocals |
| 19 | Ben Urmston | Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | Tom Urmston | Vocals (Background) |
| 21 | Willy Urmston | Drawing, Photography, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Craig Welsch | Engineer, Main Personnel, Mixing |
| 23 | The White Buffalo | Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |