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Reviews

Leave on a Light: Max McNown’s Best Album So Far?

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The modern country-Americana megastar Max McNown dropped his highly anticipated third album in as many years today! I remember loving his last album last year, so have high hopes for this one too. A couple of the singles I’ve checked out so far are great, so I’m excited to dive in and see what it’s about!

The album starts pretty slow, fittingly, with ‘Slow Down, Slow Down’. Max’s fantastic vocals come over the top of a simple drum beat and guitar chord progression. It builds up before dropping out even more for the first half of the chorus, just being guitar and vocals. It makes it hit even harder when everything explodes back in for the second half, too! It’s a short and sweet track at barely over two and a half minutes, but is beautifully written and the dynamics and production are a real standout point. A great way to open the album!

The chilled out, slower vibes continue through ‘First Born Daughter’, fitting somewhere perfectly between old school Western and modern indie-Americana. It builds a bit more naturally into a bigger, more stadium-filling chorus this time, and it’s one that will be stuck in my head for days to come! It’s a beautiful, heart-felt love song, and a massive early album highlight for me. And what a choice for a single too, although there were quite a few from this release… Great stuff!

I like the rockier intro for single ‘Done For’, it upping the energy and pace a little and being an excellent change of pace. It leads to an absolutely massive chorus that is over as fast as it starts, but is so very memorable. His lyrics are again amazing and his voice fits this sort of style so well, reminding me a little bit of both Kip Moore and Evan Honer simultaneously. It’s another short and sweet track, but we even get some time for a little guitar lead part, which was nice. I like the rockier edge to his sound a lot, and this is a track that easily makes it onto our playlist. If you’re going to check out any track from this album, let it be this one. I’m a little obsessed!

The higher energy continues later in the album through tracks like singles ‘Heart You Didn’t Break’ and ‘Standstill’, ‘Make my Peace’ and ‘Selah’s Song’. The former reminds me of Mumford and Sons in the best way, and is another MASSIVE highlight song. However, all are great songs in their own right, and break up the generally slower pace of the album perfectly, exactly what a release of this length and magnitude needs. It also shows Max’s great range of different sounds and styles, his vocals fitting it all so well, and it’s all fantastically written. They are certainly more of ‘my vibe’ of songs compared to some of the others, as much as I enjoy other tracks on here, and I’d recommend all of them to absolutely anyone!

The other singles, ‘Something to Someone’, ‘World Change Me’, ‘Famous to You’ and ‘Comets’, are all more great choices for pre-release songs, and fantastic representations of Max’s sound and talent. The former is an excellent indie-Americana song, complete with maybe the best chorus on the whole album. ‘Famous to You’ reflects that style perfectly, too. ‘World Change Me’ has a great Western edge to it, and the stomping pace is excellent. Then you have the slower, more ballad-like ‘Comets’, being arguably the best of this pace and style on this release. Don’t get me wrong, there were maybe too many singles for the album, but when it’s this long it makes sense for there to be, and each represent a different part of the album perfectly. And they’re all great songs!

A lot of the other songs on the album are more slower, beautiful songs. They all fit the vibe and tone of the album excellently, and are very good songs in their own right. ‘Isn’t That Love?’ is probably my favourite of the bunch. However, all of them do have a slight album-track feel to them, and there’s just too many of them. I don’t mind a longer album generally, but 17 tracks when a lot of it channels the same sort of vibe and energy is a little much for me. Now, he is a massive name so is clearly doing something right, and there will be plenty of people who love all of these. They’re all well written, well performed and recorded songs, but when put together in the same collection I personally found it a little hard a listen, especially by the end. Still, if you are a fan of Max, they are still well worth a listen! The closer is also beautiful, giving me goosebumps, so there is that! The poem in the middle is phenomenal.

Overall: I certainly had a good time with this album. As I’ve said before, he is an incredibly talented musician and not a single track on here is bad by any stretch. And as I said, if you are already a fan of Max or his general style, you may have a lot of mileage for this release! However, it is a touch too long for me personally. There’s a phenomenal album tucked away in here spread across maybe 10 tracks, but the rest do bog it down, in this writers humble opinion. It’s very much a problem across the country spectrum though, and is probably why I’m not as big a fan of guys like Morgan Wallen and Riley Green. This is a great indie-infused country Americana album, and if you are a fan of the style it is very much worth the time and effort. But it’s not a release I’ll be revisiting in full all too often. It sadly falls just short of his sophomore release.

The Score: 7.5/10

Reviews

Age of the Ram: Charley Crockett’s Best Album Yet?

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The whopping 16th album from the modern classical country star dropped today, to a hell of a lot of hype! We’ve checked out a couple in recent years, and I’m becoming a big fan, so when this came across our desk I wanted to deep dive into it and really see what it is about. Especially since it seems like such a concept/theatrical release. Let’s dive in, ladies and gents!

After a brief intro track, Theme I setting the tone perfectly, ‘Lonesome Dove’ is a fantastic opening song. The classic country sound is encapsulated perfectly by Crockett, and this is so very Hank I or Haggard. It’s simple and steady, but so fantastically written and performed. The acoustic chords and basic drumbeat are a backdrop for Charley’s powerful vocals and amazing lyrics. And still it’s a catchy chorus, especially the last one when the backing vocals join it. It’s a great, chilled way to open the album!

‘Rancho Deluxe (Main Theme)’ is a simple two minute track that keeps the same vibe going, as well as continuing the story and theme of the album to perfection. He’s such a fantastic storyteller, definitely up there with the best among the oft-forgotten art in the mainstream currently. And instrumentally, while it is rather basic by today’s standards, it all still slots together perfectly, and the overall product of everyone’s work is excellent. And it almost feels like another intro track to ‘My Last Drink of Wine’, which I loved.

Speaking of that track, it’s the first highlight of the album, for me! Starting off the same as the other tracks, it actually picks up the pace a little into a memorable chorus. It’s more something you can dance to, which is always fun. Also, the piano coming in for the second verse was excellent, adding to the old-timey feel but also completely fitting in with the rest of the song. In fact, the almost constant instrumentation between each part is fascinating writing, and kept me hooked throughout. We even get a great little guitar solo to close things out! It’s an excellent traditional country track, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist! It’s probably the closest to a radio-friendly track so far, too.

‘Fastest Gun Alive’ is another steady track, but another great, radio-hook of a chorus! The same can be said for ‘Crazy Woman Ridge’ and ‘Me & Shooter’. All are awesome tracks that are up there alongside ‘Last Drink…’ for me as firm album highlights. However, they all also feel different from each other, with the latter being an excellent bluegrass song! I love that they are spread throughout the album too, keeping it constantly varied and interesting. However, I do think it’s in tracks like these are where his band shine through the most as they have the most to do, and that big-band-country style is definitely a big favourite of mine. If you are going to check out any songs from the album, let it be these four. However, they are far from the only good songs on the release!

Meanwhile, songs like ‘Diamond Belle’, ‘I Shot Jesse James’, ‘Sweet Mother Texas’ and ‘Billy McLane’ are more slower, simpler tracks again. They are very much more focused on just Charley’s vocals and guitar, even if there are some other basic instruments adding to the overall sound. None are inherently bad songs by any stretch, and I like that they are generally a bit more spread out throughout, not slowing the pace down for extended periods at once. Once again, the latter is probably my favourite of the trio, it having the most to it with the piano being prominent too, and the lyrics were damn interesting!

We also get a few more interlude/story tracks. Two more ‘Life & Times of Billy McLane’s and another ‘Rancho Deluxe’ keep the story flowing excellently. It’s a bit of a lost art form these days, especially in the country scene, but it makes the whole album a must-listen from front-to-back, and without them I would genuinely say the release wouldn’t be as good. Plus, ‘… (End Theme)’ is honestly one of my favourite songs on the album, another easy highlight. My only slight confusion comes with there being another six tracks after it. Despite the storyline going on, it still feels like maybe it would have served a better purpose being the album closer!

‘Kentucky Too Long’ is another fantastic song that feels a bit more riff based, clearly drawing on more of a blues inspiration. The riffing is excellent, as is the soloing throughout, and the track as a whole feels like some combination of Merle, ZZ Top and even Lenny Kravitz at times. It’s still a chilled-out, stripped-back song, but is once again something different on an album that is fairly long, so it is more than welcomed. And, as I said it, it’s a damn good song in its own right! Another song that I would highly recommend, especially if you are into more of a blues vibe!

Then, there are a few shorter tracks sprinkled throughout. ‘Remembering Pat’ is an interesting song from a lyrical standpoint, and honestly I’d have taken more than 45-seconds of it. ‘Border Winds’ is a fun little vocal melody with just a slight guitar part behind it, while ‘Powder River’ is another fun outlier of a track that channels more of that bluegrass or real old-school western vibe to it. It’s another one that I’d have happily taken as a whole song, but am still glad of its inclusion here. It also bleeds rather perfectly into its following track, ‘Low Down Freedom’. Said song continues that same sort of vibe, definitely once again having a blues edge to it, even if it’s a steadier tempo and more chilled for the most part. However, it’s another that has an incredible chorus to it, designed to be played to huge festival crowds, and that repeating blues riff is AWESOME! Another huge highlight on an album seemingly packed full of them!

The final track on the album, ‘Cover my Trail Tonight’, feels like it draws together everything before it, somehow capping off something so grandiose excellently. An overall dark Western feel, packed full of some amazing lyrics and instrumentation. The guitaring is just as big of a high point as the vocals, too. It’s everything Crockett is about rolled up into an under four minute package, and is another one that is an absolute must-check-out!

Overall: I absolutely loved this! Having gotten into him the last couple of years or so, I can safely say this is my favourite thing I’ve checked out from him. It feels like the most concise things he’s put out in recent times, wild given the releases sprawl, and it has more than a couple of songs that I would put up there with his very best! Charley’s talent is undeniable, and I’m so glad he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves for it. If you are into a more classic country sound, this release is an absolute must!

The Score: 8.5/10

Reviews

State of Mind: Genre-Hopping Awesomeness from Thunderian Summer

East Midlands own Thunderian Summer have only been around for a few years, but have already been making waves in the underground rock scene. Having released their debut album just a couple of weeks back, the future looks very bright for them! We got sent over the album by our good friends at Unearthed and just had to check it out!

Opener ‘Pain is a Friend’ has a great, steady, slow-build intro. It explodes into a great lead guitar line over the top, it giving me immediate John Frusciante vibes. The vocals are rather indie over the top, but it also gives off slight New Wave vibes, Pulp or even Billy Idol. The chorus, while the instrumentation doesn’t change too much, is massively open and catchy. It’s a fantastic songwriting talent, to get all of these different sounding parts and levels of depth around the same couple of riffs. It drops back down around the middle, building up again perfectly in a very Ramones style. I loved this tracks, and it easily makes our playlist!

‘Steve McQueen’ opens on a fuzzy guitar riff, again building in the rest of the band perfectly. This one reminds me of Bush more than anything, a grungy take on old-school punk. It’s a simpler track from a structural standpoint, but is just as massive and catchy in the chorus as the previous track. It’s like early Nirvana at times too, and I love it. Plus, the lyrics here are really fantastic; deep and impactful. The drop-out to just guitars and slight drums is awesome and will go down so well live with clapping. Also, Danzig, that’s another voice that this reminds me of! It’s been bugging me the whole song until now… It’s another incredible track, and another to make the playlist!

The lead single from the album, ‘Time Bomb’, is a more blues-lead affair. The main riff is awesome, and is the main focus of the track aside from the Gavin Rossdale-style vocals. However, surprisingly, it lightened up in the choruses, it almost venturing into pop territory. It was all excellent but was certainly unexpected. Because of it, I can definitely see why they chose it for a single. However, it didn’t capture me quite as much as the opening two tracks did. The outro and riff were cool, but something about it didn’t click for me.

‘Cold September’ and ‘Chasing Shadows’ are more slower tracks again. Both feel like the ballads of the album, with the former being more New Wave while the latter is more grunge (with a bit of Type O Negative thrown in for good measure) awesomeness. Both are great tracks and fit the feel and style of the album perfectly. ‘Chasing Shadows’ wouldn’t feel out of place on the Temple of Dog album, it’s great.

‘State of Mind’ opens much like ‘Steve McQueen’, with a grungier Bryan Adams riff. The chorus is a little more open, some almost ska chorus and rhythm going on through it. It’s a fun track and, typically by this point, plenty catchy.

‘Shake Your Sins’ changes it up again, giving us a fantastic acoustic ballad. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the album, honestly. Just vocals and guitar, it is filled with emotion, from the opening note to the heart-breaking lyrics. Sometimes simplicity is key, and that is definitely the case here! You MUST check this out, what a beautiful song.

The opening of ‘Empathy’ reminds me of an Iron Maiden track but I can’t think which. I wanna say ‘Revelations’ or ‘Total Eclipse’. It’s a blend of that, Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam. It’s got a great grungy swagger and attitude to it. Meanwhile ‘Lion Bear Tiger Mama’ completely changes the pace again, introducing a new sound to the album late into the game, straight up rock’n’roll. It came out of left field but in the best of ways, giving off big Led Zep vibes.

Then, out of nowhere, we’re hit with a slow, prog-western track to close out the album. The riffing and lead guitaring that ran through this song was AMAZING, as was the bass, being a massive highlight of the track. It heavies up around the midpoint of the track, the distorted guitars coming in over the top and adding another fantastic layer of depth to it all. The track as a whole is phenomenal, another massive highlight of the album and another to easily make the playlist!

Overall: this was amazing. It blended together so many different genres, from indie to rock to western to acoustic, and did it all masterfully. I would highly recommend this album to anyone, as you’re bound to find something you love no matter your tastes. It’s one hell of a debut album and I cannot wait to here where this band goes in the future after this. They should have a massive 2023!

The Score: 8.5/10