I’d never heard of this Kentucky country band before last week, when they emailed me about the release of this EP. I assume they read my review of Kyle Daniel’s new album, as to my surprise, he did the guitaring for this release! So, I couldn’t not check it out, and am excited to dive in and see what Van Winkle and Co. have to offer!
The Ep’s title track opens things off perfectly, immediately getting off ‘Free Bird’ vibes. The vocals, and the lyrics for that matter, fit perfectly over the top of the instrumentation. The backing vocals and harmonies add so much to the already catchy chorus too, making for a very memorable one! We even get some awesome organ and guitar duelling solos, adding even more Lynyrd Skynyrd vibes to the track. It’s an amazing choice to. Open the EP, showing off exactly what the band are about and their great sound, and it was an excellent choice of a single! It easily makes our playlist!
‘Moses Coletrain’ adds even more blues to the proceedings, a great simple bass and drum line to kick us off, the guitars, vocals and keys keeping it simple over the top. It all builds up to a simple but hugely effective chorus, just a couple of lines but awesome. The whole track has a subdued, slower pace and feel to it, giving off great old-school blues vibes and making for another amazing song.
The pace picks up slightly for ‘Still Out West’, instead leaning heavily into a western inspiration and sound. It tells a great tale, and the instrumentation and backing vocals again add so much to the great vocals. It honestly feels like a celebration of western music in all of the best ways. It’s also a true testament to the band’s talents, that they can play across multiple different styles and do so flawlessly. The band are three for three so far with amazing songs!
The chilled vibes continue through ‘Wrote the Book’, feeling like the slower, more acoustic end of Blackberry Smoke’s catalogue. It feels like every single line of vocals is infectiously catchy, and the guitaring is doing amazing things throughout the entire track. And, of course, the guitar solo is incredible and fits the tone of the track perfectly. Everything about this song is amazing, and is another easily play listed track!
The pace and rock feel pick back up for ‘Find some Peace’, before the closing track ‘Crown’ goes full folk/Americana in all the best ways! Both are two more amazing tracks with their own appeals. However, the latter drew me in more just for how different, interesting and epic it is. Between the strings and the piano and soaring vocals, it honestly gave me goosebumps. It’s such an incredible song, and the perfect choice to close out the release. If you’re a fan of ballads, check this track out, I cannot recommend it enough!
Overall: This is an amazing EP! Considering I’d never heard of the band before they emailed me a couple of weeks ago, they have a huge new fan in me! The fact that they’ve put out something this strong after their debut album five years ago is insane, and shows that the sky is barely even the limit for the band. I’d recommend it to anyone, not just country fans, and will be spinning it a lot in the coming weeks and months! It’s made me desperate for another full length release from the band, but I at least have this and their debut to keep me busy with in the meantime!
The Score: 9/10