Love’s Gone Again might be Kyle Bagwell‘s debut release, but the songwriting chops and deftness of delivery found here reflect the long and rich experience that backs up this musical six-shooter. A Texan relocated to Northern California, such a geographic hop also neatly frames the scope of this blend of old-school country traditions and perhaps a slightly more contemporary West Coast mindset. That said, backstories are all well and good, but it is the music that counts.
The title track kicks us off, a classic cowboy waltz, slow and seductive, sad yet serene, acoustic rhythms tenderly touched by beatific beats and shimmering sonic motifs. But this understated opening is balanced by bigger country sounds such as “Outlaw’s Lament” and the decidedly groovy rocker of “The Devil Must Play.”
And the EP plays out as it came in, a country-folk ballad built as much from space and atmosphere as riff and rhythm until it kicks things up a gear, heads for the horizon, and then fades out into the sonic sunset.
There is certainly plenty of familiarity to be found here, echoes of classic sounds and country comfort zones. But there is also much that feels perfectly in line with the sound of today’s various roots genres. Sometimes you don’t have to change the recipe that much; just add a bit of sonic spice and new musical zing to a sound, add fresh garnish and, at the risk of pushing this food metaphor to absolute breaking point, serve up an old favorite dish in a new way. And that is exactly what is going on here: everything you love and recognize, repackaged and repurposed to move with the times, and do so gently and often with the utmost grace.
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