Well, this has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? I remember speaking to Kyle about this album back a couple of years ago now, and I’ve been eagerly and impatiently anticipating it ever since. So, for it to finally be out and for me to be able to sit down and review it is damn exciting. Let’s dive in without wasting any more time, shall we?
‘Can’t Hold Me Back’ bursts in with a rocky riff right off the bat, firmly establishing the sound and tone of the album immediately. It reminds me a lot of some of Black Stone Cherry’s stuff, especially when Kyle’s low, powerful vocals come in over the top. He’s going to do very well in the UK with this sort of sound. The chorus is awesome and catchy as anything. We even get an awesome guitar solo tucked in the middle, even more firmly establishing it in the southern rock side. I loved the duelling vocals at the start of the final chorus, it almost sounding like Chris Stapleton with the soulful delivery, and it added another great level to it all. This was the perfect way to open this album, going hard and heavy but having plenty of country swagger laced into it too. It easily made our playlist!
Maggie Rose adds so much to ‘Fire Me Up’, making it another instant, massive highlight of the album. She adds so much to Kyle’s already amazing vocals with her incredible harmonies, making it all even more catchy. And it fits in perfectly with the slightly slower pace and more country sound. It’s a simple song in terms of riffing and structure, but it’s absolutely fantastic and has the potential to be a massive radio hit. It gives off big Blackberry Smoke vibes for me. It’s another excellent song, and a more lighter, uplifting one than the opener.
‘Runnin’ From Me’ is another fun track, opening on the infectiously catchy chorus vocals, gang-vocal style. The lyrics immediately hit hard too, being fantastically written and all too true. It also adds even more country vibes to the sound, being at a plodding pace and even having some awesome slide guitar work. It immediately gives off vibes of fellow Bowling Green country boys Everette, in all the best ways. It’s amazing how many different styles of country Kyle has covered so far on this record; a true testament to his abilities as a songwriter. It’s yet another incredible song, and another to sneak onto our playlist!
I love the addition of the organ on ‘A Man Like That’, giving it much more of a blues feel with the slower pace and stripped-back instrumentation, too. It’s yet another awesome style that Kyle pulls off perfectly. We also get a phenomenal guitar solo tucked away in the middle, my favourite of the album, it fits the track amazingly. It’s a fun song that’s very well put together, and another I’m sure to be obsessed with moving forward!
Songs like ‘Southern Sounds’, ‘Following the Rain’ and closer ‘Divided we Are’ are all slower, more stripped-back, almost ballad tracks. All are fantastic in their own way, with the former featuring the insane vocals of Kendell Marvel, his low tones fitting the slow drums and clean guitar chords perfectly. Meanwhile the latter is a beautiful, emotion-filled piano ballad, and the perfect way to close the album. The lyrics are fantastic, and Kyle’s delivery of them hit hard, giving me goosebumps. And the way all the instrumentation swelled for the last minute and a half… DAMN. And man, ‘Following the Rain’ is just a beautiful, simple acoustic track.
I’d heard both ‘Me & My Old Man’ and ‘Summer Down South’ before writing this review. I’ve filmed a reaction video to the former which should be out around the same time as this review. The cliff-notes from that are that it’s a beautiful, touching tribute to his father, and a catchy, awesome, up-tempo ballad that may or may not have nearly made me cry. Meanwhile the latter is a fun, bouncy track featuring one of my favourite bands, The Cadillac Three. It’s a high-energy, country-rock track, and unsurprisingly Kyle and Jared’s vocals work perfectly together, the whole of TC3 doing an awesome job on the track. Both easily made it onto our playlist, and I’ve been spinning them a lot!
The last few tracks on the album are just as good as all the rest. ‘Deep in the Woods’ is a neo-traditional country track brimming with swagger and having some awesome backing vocals and harmonica. Meanwhile ‘Wild, Free and Easy’ is a slower, modern radio-country track, but with enough of a rock edge that sets it apart and makes it distinctly Kyle Daniel. Finally, ‘Everyone’s Talkin’’ features the amazing Sarah Zimmermann and is another plodding, fun blues track. And I love that it’s another track where we get an awesome, rockin’ extended outro, which he does so well. All three are excellent tracks and enjoyable in their own ways. I simply don’t want to come across as an even bigger fan girl as I am by gushing over each track for the same awesome thing!
Overall: This is amazing. Somehow, it’s worth the wait! Every track on this is incredible, and all have such character and variety. He’s somehow surpassed the expectations I had for this release, and has put out something truly special. If this doesn’t propel him towards becoming a major star in the country-rock sphere, then I officially give up with the music industry! I’m gonna be spinning this a lot moving forward, and I cannot wait to be hearing it live at The Long Road festival next month!
The Score: 9.5/10