Rock producer and songwriter Dan Jones put out his second release back in February. Building on his instrumental debut solo album, he’s now stepped up to the vocal plate too, and delivered four incredible country rock tracks for this collection. I sadly hadn’t heard of him until coming across his stuff on Instagram and he reached out to us, so I have to say I’m rather excited to be doing this review, heading in completely blind! Let’s dive right in, shall we?
The title track opens things up in pretty blues rock fashion, instantly being a foot-stomper! There’s definitely some Southern and country sound to it, but this is very much a rock song first. It’s like the perfect blend of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Status Quo, and I’m all here for it! It’s catchy, having a massive chorus, and Dan’s vocals fit the great riffing and instrumentation perfectly. We even got some great lead guitar work at times, which adds even more to the sound. It’s a simple yet incredibly effective song, and a great way to start things off!
To my shock, the second track goes hard into piano-ballad territory. It’s packed full of emotion and honestly beautiful. It builds masterfully too, with the acoustic guitar and drums coming in for the second verse. Honestly, it made it kinda feel a little Guns’n’Roses, definitely in a good way. Like Dan’s own ‘November Rain’! Again, it’s catchy as anything too, built to be played to huge arenas and festival crowds. It’s a fun song that offers a completely different side to Dan to the previous track, showing he can do both styles so well.
‘Lovin’ You’ picks up the pace again and brings with it a LOT of great country vibes. It’s old-school country though, more of a Don McLean or Willie Nelson or even Neil Diamond than anything nowadays. It’s a lot of fun, and a chilled out, bouncier number. The chords are great, the simple instrumentation backing them up perfectly, and Dan’s vocals again fit perfectly over the top. Again, it feels completely different to the other two tracks, but in a seriously good way.
Closing out the EP is another number that leans heavily into Dan’s country side, the aptly named ‘Slow Down’. It feels like a combination of the previous song and the opener, and gives a slight vibe of a more country Mark Knopfler. It’s another great, catchy chorus, and the rest of the track builds to and around it brilliantly. And we get another awesome guitar solo tucked away in the middle, fitting the tone of the track perfectly. And that outro chorus… *chefs kiss*. It’s another amazing song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!
Overall: This is a great little EP! I’m so glad I discovered Dan and his music, as all four songs are great and so different to each other. He’s an incredibly talented, varied songwriter who has all the tools to go far, if he gets the break he deserves. I’d recommend this massively to any fans of old-school rock or country music, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do!
The Score: 8/10