In an ever growing and expanding crowd of American roots musicians, Drew Holcomb is a name that pops up time and time again, the reason? Well, it’s simple, he’s flipping good!
Back in 2019 I listened and reviewed the predecessor album, ‘Dragons’, and I praised the production, the songs, the way the songwriting is settled and comfortable and I said the songs reminded me of a folky version of Las Vegas monsters The Killers and the songs wrestle with everything that is good about roots music – so things like descriptive lyrics, crunchy guitars, steel stringed guitars, driving rhythm, heartbreak, community and travel. Well, it’s more of the same and the result, which is to be expected, is brilliant.
Honestly, I can’t think of another album this year that has impressed me so immediately and, considering the amount of new music that has passed my paws and ears, that’s a high compliment.
We start of gently with ‘Fly’ that draws you in with a soft folky approach before opening up and welcoming you to the next ten songs that are a joy. ‘All the Money in the World’ has a deep soulful groove, ‘Gratitude’ finds the band in a reflective mood before the album switches up a notch and reveals banger after banger in the form of ‘Dance With Everybody’ that celebrates community, ‘On A Roll’ that, again, sounds like Brandon Flowers should grab a notebook, ‘Possibility’ which shuffles along like a locomotive and guitar-riff-driven ‘Strange Felling’. To have this number of great songs on one album is remarkable in itself but to have them one after the other is a treat!
These are tub-thumping, hands-in-the-air celebrations and even if you have no real interest in listening to this genre of music, you really should set aside fifteen minutes of your life and listen because this is a band at the top of their game. The production is bang on point, there are quiet moments, but these are so enjoyable that you just sit back and go with the flow.
It’s difficult to sum up the album in a few sentences. Based on ‘Dragons’, I came in expecting good things but I didn’t expect the result to be such an uplifting experience. So to the band, Nathan Dugger, Rich Brinsfield, Will Sayles and Ian Miller, and to Drew Holcomb himself, thank you, this album is brilliant!
