DESERT CROSSING: Divergency

Most music aimed at those of us on the far side of 50 seems focused on a certain sentimentality—whether it’s the endless parade of farewell tours by the stars of our youth or yet another classic rock tribute band.

Even artists who are in that demograhpic seem to still write songs about being young or remembering what it was like to be young (I’m looking at you, Mick and Keith).

To find music that tackles the challenges of, well, getting older with the same élan as songs focused on youth—music played with spirit, energy, and joy, but coupled with a touch of hard-earned wisdom—is a thing of beauty.

Particularly when it is done this well.

Not that Divergency, the new release from local duo Desert Crossing, is fixated on aging. It’s just a normal, healthy part of the mix in their music. Rose Darrough and Michael J. Dwyer share the songwriting and singing roles in their band, and both of them display a deft touch at melding bold lyrical imagery with striking melodic themes.

The result is a (mostly) country rock groove for adults.

And not every song is forced into a roots groove. “Drown in You” is a pretty straight forward rock song with an R&B-tinged solo on tenor sax, while the opening track, “Manic,” has a bit of a 1980s new wave vibe. And “Expat in Columbia” contains a bit of traditional cumbia.

The arrangements range from acoustic string instrumentals (“Dusty Rose,” “Expat in Columbia”) to a full electric rock lineup (“That Sixty-Five Ford Falcon,” “Anything You Choose”). The playing is solid, but not flashy, keeping the focus on the songs and the stories they frame.

The vocals are rough-hewn and thank goodness—perfectly pure voices could never tell these stories with any authenticity.

The 14 songs take in everything from later in life love affairs (“Your Addiction,” “What’s in Your Closet”), trying to make sense of life (“City on Reverb,” “White Noise”), to, yes, a bit of sentimentality (“That Sixty-Five Ford Falcon”).

“Dusty Rose” is a nice example of their approach—telling the story of an older woman looking back at her life without ever growing maudlin. The closing stanzas wrap it up perfectly:

She remembered how it was
Felt his touch on her
Twenty summers passed
Still somehow it hurts

In her twilight years
She laughed and drank her wine
Grandkids on her knees
Put the past behind