Welcome to our new feature her at Rock is the New Roll. We will be featuring random songs we are listening to here at RitNR. Most of the songs will have a category assigned so you can look up all the songs in that category as we build the inventory. First up, a murder ballad courtesy of Charlie Crocket.
It was there that he shot her where the lovers were embraced with the bullet he intended for the man that took his place.
Bang, Rock, and Roll, this week is a subdued scorcher with an Americana bent to the proceedings. The new, new to us anyway band The Bites lay down a single that brings to the minds ear Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man” and Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” in equal doses.
Buckcherry continues to deliver their rock a bit on the sleazy side.
And Jesse Dayton and Samantha Fish team up on Deathwish with the LA noir video worth the price of admission alone.
And, if all of that is not enough, here are five new records to tickle the earlobe and assault the senses.
Robert Jon and the Wreck – One of A Kind
It’s no secret that with the recent demise of Gary Rossington that there is a hole in our collective Southern Rock hearts, but fear not, arriving just in time is a new E.P. from Robert Jon & the Wreck, One of a Kind.
Bringing to mind all of the greats from Molly Hatchett and Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Marshall Tucker Tucker Band dusted with a bit of Wet Willie Pop dust along the way. Everything about this band is fantastic.
“Paint No More” has a “Gimme Three Steps” aura around it with Robert Jon extending his Gregg Allman-evoking vocal prowess, “Who Can You Love” is a lower and slower ballad with a bit of a .38 Special sound, and “Come at Me” has a more contemporary feel and is a song that would in quite nicely in a Blackberry Smoke set.
If this is your first foray into the dulcet tones of Robert Jon & The Wreck, while you are waiting on a proper full-length to be released, do your ears a solid and check out their 2021 release Shine A Light On Me Brother.
Eyelids – A Colossal Waste of Light
The band, a supergroup of sorts with members of The Decemberists, Camper Van Beethoven, Guided By Voices, and The Eliott Smit Band doing the heavy lifting plays in the Power Pop sandbox along with Big Star, Badfinger, and Jelly Fish.
The opener, “Crawling Off Your Page” breaks out of your speakers with a Cheap Trick by way of Big Star sensibility with a touch of Replacements in the mix, particularly in the song structure. “Swinging In The Circus could have been a late-era, Tom Petty hit. And, “Everything That I See You See Better” is perfect R.E.M. fare.
A rare supergroup where the sum brightens the individual parts, there is nary a dud in this pack of firecrackers.
Band of Heathens – Simple Things
The Band of Heathens, essentially the musical collective fronted by Gordy Quist and Ed Juri, continues to make solid uplifting music now 15 years into the game. This time out, they deliver a set of tunes that celebrate the simpler things in life, hanging out with friends, soaking up some sun, and being with family.
The opener, “Don’t Let The Darkness,” is ripped right out of the Loggins and Messina playbook, while “Long Lost Son” is Texas red dirt at its core. “Damaged Goods” would be perfect as a later-in-the-night, sway-in-the-moonlight barroom closing time tune, and “Simple Things,” the title track, is a thoughtful reminiscing tune that will remind you of what exactly is important in life.
Eight albums in now, and on the heels of their joyful collaboration of a covers album, Remote Transmissions, Vol. 1 from last year, The Band of Heathens prove once again that they are incapable of producing a bad record.
Doug Paisley – Say What You Like
From the opening salvo of the title track to Say What You Like, the latest from Doug Paisley, the laid-back J.J. Cale vibe will hit you between the ears and immediately level set the rest of the day for you with good vibes and peaceful easy feelings.
“Sometimes It’s So Easy” has a bit of a Dan Fogelberg quality about it, while “Wide Open Plane” sounds like a Cale-Clapton collaboration. The stories told through the record are simple and subtle and will seep into your soul rather than assault your senses.
The ’70s Seals and Croft, Loggins and Messina, almost yacht rock adjacent atmosphere that is presented here is a refreshing counterpoint to the rigors of daily living, case in point, “You Turn Me Around,” a song that could have been a Bob Seger Night Moves Balad.
Various Artists – Stoned Cold Country
Spoiler alert, despite the seemingly lame premise of semi-over the hill along with contemporary country artists covering the Rolling Stones songbook, this time, it actually works. Much like with Elton John’s 2018 release Restoration: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, the songs are so good and so ingrained in our collective psyches that when the songs are presented in a different hue than we are used to the quality of the songwriting is brought to the head of the class.
While certainly there are a few miss-steps and awkward pairings here, most notably with Lainey Wilson and her version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” for the most part, this is a solid effort that will be deserving of a decent spot once the best covers records of the year lists come around.
The Brothers Osborne pair up with The War On Treaty on “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” and deliver a version that will stand up over the years as one of the best, and Brooks and Dunn show up on “Honky Tonk Women” that sounds like “Honky Tonk Women,” and that is never a bad thing. The guitar work and originality displayed by Marcus King’s rendition of “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is soul-stirring, and Steve Earles’s poignant take on “Angie” is elegant and much more on-point than one would think given the odd pairing of the song to the artist.
Summer will be here before we know it, but things are heating up on the music front already. The Ruen brothers are beginning to come out of hibernation with the release of “Seasons Change,” the latest single from their upcoming long-player, Ten Paces.
The mighty Winger will take you back to your rock and roll youth with their latest release, “Proud Desperado.”
And if Tiki music and Tiki drinks are part of your vibe, The Tikiyaki Orchestra and “South Pacific Sojourn” will stir your Mai Tai.
But, enough of the preamble, here are five records that your ears should digest this week.
The Nude Party – Rides On
With their first self-produced affair, The Nude Party rides on with their Classic Rock adjacent retro sound that never fails to put an extra stride in the step and honey-drenched nectar in your ears.
Searching for an early ’70s Blues-Rock feel in the Sticky Fingers mode, one doesn’t have to stray much further past the opener “Word Gets Around” for audible evidence that the mission was definitely accomplished on this song that combines Rolling Stones swagger with T-Rev grooves.
The vocal prowess of singer Patton Magee which seems to channel the devil spawn of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan carries the day whether he is kicking out the jams on the cowbell swirling, organ magnificence of “Hey Monet,” a song that would have fit in perfectly in the canon of The Flamin’ Groovies back in the day, or laying back on the Phil Spector inspired “Cherry Red Boots.”
Once the first couple of lines of the Velvet’s inspired almost title track “Ride On” hits your ears, the sales pitch is in, and the deal is closed on a record that will remain in heavy rotation well into the summer and beyond.
The Cold Stares – Voices
Blues Rock is back and better than over, case in point, is Voices, the latest from Indiana’s own The Cold Stares. Bringing to the minds-ear other back-in-the-day trios, The Jimi Hendrix Experience on “Come For Me,” Stevie Ray and Double Trouble on the opener “Nothing But The Blues,” and ZZ Top on “Got No Right.”
The semi-funky “Lights Out” is a festival and arena-ready anthem, and while “Waiting For The Rain Again” might ride the rails entering into Kenny Wayne Sheppard or Jonny Lang guitar slinger territory, the muscular drive of the band, locked in the groove, carries the day.
If there is a miss-step here, it might be “Sorry I Was Late.” The Whitesnake meets Night Ranger ballad certainly highlights the vocal prowess of singer Chriss Tapp, for much of the song it sounds like the band is trying to work out the intro to “Stairway To Heaven.”
Overall, this record rocks hard where it needs to and allows time for reflection right at the very time that it is needed.
The Panhandlers – Tough Country
If you ever wanted to experience what it would be like cruising the Texas backroads going from Honky Tonk to Honky Tonk listening to red dirt music the way it was meant to be played, then The Panhandlers and Tough Country is your perfect hill country jam.
Originally coming together as a tribute to the legendary trio The Flatlanders, a band consisting of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock, The Panhandlers are younger gun Texans, Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green, along with Cleto Cordero of Flatland Calvary.
Standing on their own, the Panhandlers celebrate everything Texas on this record. Whether they are celebrating the real Texas on “West Texas Is The Best Texas,” lamenting the hipster take-over of Dallas and Austin, or languishing in the Marfa lights like they are doing on “Moonlight In Marfa,” it sounds like picking up some screw-top wine and a case of beer at the 7-11 and stepping out to the “Midland” Jamboree would be a perfect end to a perfect day spent with this record and the Panhandlers.
Matt Andersen – The Big Bottle of Joy
Rock and Soul is the order of the day on Matt Andersen’s new album, the aptly named The Big Bottle of Joy. From the opening Hammond B-3 riffage of “Let It Slide” the cathartic joyful noise is palpable.
“What’s On My Mind” is a ripped-from-the-headlines plea to get along with one another, and “Rollin’ Down the Road” is taken right from the J.J. Cale songbook. “Only an Island” takes things a bit low and slow in the Joe Cocker Mold, and the closer “Shoes” puts a poignant pin on an album of reflection and joy.
Doolin’ – Circus Boy
Festival favorites on both sides of the pond, the band Doolin’ is a French Celtic supergroup of sorts combining traditional Celtic influences with Creole, French Pop, and Folk inspirations to create a smorgasbord of sounds that transcend boundaries.
“Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” is the band’s New Orleans-style take on the King Radio, made famous by Harry Belafonte, calypso classic, “When I’m Done” has a bit of a Waterboys pathos to it, and the title track “Circus Boy” has a bit of a Kevin Rowland by way of Dawes vibe to the deal.
The “Darkest Day” breaks down like a Lumineers epic ode, and “A Place Where We Belong” could have been on a Bono solo record, if he ever were to record one that is.
Given the disparate influences on this record, it would have been easy to stray away from the core and lack cohesion. Such is not the case on this artistic tour-de-force mostly due to the collaborations from Ashley Davis (The Chieftans), Celtic band Screaming Orphans, and Niahm Gallagher (Lord of the Dance). This is a band that is clearly stretching boundaries and having fun. And, in the end, isn’t that what playing music is supposed to be about?
The new Nude Party record, Rides On, will see the light of ear on March 10. In the meantime, here is a freshly-minted video from their latest single, “Ride On.”
The roll continues to rock this week with some intrinsically cool nuggets perfect for palate cleansing.
The mighty Luke Spiller and The Struts are out with an outstanding E.P., Unplugged at East West.
Americana OG’s The Long Ryders are out with a new video and single in advance of their upcoming record.
And, Brian Dunne, a newcomer we are starting to get behind, has released the single, “It’s A Miracle,” in advance of his soon-to-be-released long player, Loser On The Ropes.
But, enough with the foreplay. Here are five carefully curated selections to please the senses and tickle the earbuds.
Shamus – The Shepherd and the Wolf
Springing from the retro-rockers Sheepdogs collective, a stable that includes The Sheepdogs, the band BROS, and now Shamus, The Shepherd and the Wolf, is the latest project of band member and multi-instrumentalist Shamus Currie. With heavy 1970s influences throughout, the record is a concept album centered around a world of fantasy and adventure.
A rock opera of sorts, there are enough progressive rock touches to satisfy the faithful, leaving the edges to be rounded out with healthy doses of rock and roll. Think of a Jethro Tull without the flute.
From the opening “Days of High Adventure,” the stage is set for an aural journey that will shape-shift your mood back to the days when the music was intelligent and escapism the order of the day. With musical muses the likes of Thin Lizzy, Early Steve Miller, Moody Blues, and King Krimson, the prog riffs are there for sure but are contained to the mini opus level.
Meant to be digested as an entire entity in one sitting, this is a journey worth taking.
Jenny O. – Spectra
Opening with the mighty Hammond B-3 organ on “Pleasure In Function,” Jenny O. introduces us to her newest record which is stylistically a bit of a departure with more indie pop than we may be used to from her.
“You Are Loved Eternally” floats on a George Harrison solo-years cloud, “Prism” is a floater that comes across a bit like Suzanne Vega, while “Advise at A Dinner Party,” a song that reminds us that we get better as we age, has a Bangles dance party vibe about it.
You won’t find yourself passing over any tracks on this record and while Jenny O. might not seem to be as edgy as she was back in her Automechanic Days, this more laid-back introspective version is pretty much perfect for our ears.
Lucero – Should’ve Learned By Now
Having curated a sound that has evolved from Southern rock to Americana, Stax soul and beyond, Lucero continues to release quality music that lifts the spirit and soothes the soul.Â
From the cowbell declaration of the opener, “One Last F.U.,” the ears perk up, and the train starts rolling, soundtracking a morality tale anthem that would make Tom Waits cringe. Veering away from the Southern-goth imagery, on this, the band’s twelfth record, they return to the barrooms and the bar-rock roots already well-traveled by The Hold Steady, The National, or the Drive-By Tuckers.
Essentially an album about drinking, “Macon If We Make It” is about waiting out a storm in a backwoods watering hole, “At The Show” espouses the youthful exuberance of waiting for your friends trying to figure out how to get into the bar where your favorite band is playing, and “Drunken Moon” speaks for itself.
Overall, Should’ve Learned By Now should stand up in the upper tier of the band’s canon, and for a band that has put out quality work for more than 20 years with essentially the same band members, that is saying a lot.
The Shootouts – Stampede
Coming quickly on the heels of their last record, Bullseye, the timeline for the follow-up shortened once Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson expressed an interest in working with the band. With Stampede, the band’s third long player, the musical template remains the same, Western swing with heavy doses of classic country and Americana thrown in for good measure.
With guest turns from Mary Stuart on “Better Things We Do,” Buddy Miller on “Anywhere But Here,” and the underrated Jim Lauderdale on “Tomorrow’s Knockin’,” the album at times takes on the collaborative feel of a Willie Nelson picnic.
If Bob Wills is the king of Western Swing, then Ray Benson is the crown prince, case in point, “One Step Forward” as presented here. And, if all of that fails to scratch your honky tonk itch, “I’ll Never Need Anyone More,” with Raul Malo pitching in, should have you heading for the dance floor post haste.
En Attendant Ana – Principia
With a vibe that flows somewhere between Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kate Bush, and the chanteuse go-go boots era, the Parisian combo En Attende Ana will hot tub time machine you back to a simpler time when your television had rabbit ears.
Hipster, stopping just short of being shoegaze, the opener, “Principia,” mood-sets the rest of the record with the jangle-adjacent guitar, echo chamber production, and floating Delores O’Riordan-style vocal textures.
“Ada, Mary, Diane,” while a bit more contemporary sounding than much of the record, is nonetheless a compelling jam, “Black Morning” is a bouncy pop tune that would have fit in quite nicely in Melanies’ canon back in the day, and “Wonder” is a vulnerable piece of art with the evocative lyric, “I’m a good human being, my mama said, I hope she’s right,” is a song right from the Aimee Mann playbook.
A groovy listen from start to finish, with the subtle horns, vintage organs, and selective use of the mellotron all coalescing to take you back to a simpler time while keeping your feet planted in the present.
Local Drags – Heard About It
The second single to be released from their upcoming record, Mess of Everything. This band from Springfield, Illinois travels the Power Pop edges of the Wilco, Cheap Trock universe with splinters of Tom Petty to soften out the edges. Look for the new record on March 17.
Nude Party – Sold Out Of Love
We are not sure of what is going on at camp Nude Party, but in the last couple of weeks they have put out a lot of content, and for the record, we here at Rock is the New Roll are quite pleased. This one, “Sold Out of Love” has a bit of a “Wild Horses” scent about it.
Ashley McBryde – Light On In The Kitchen
One of the shining lights on the Country/Americana scene, with her new single Ashley McBryde sings about the simple pleasures of life, pancakes that taste better after midnight, and a dose of local honey.
Angel – It’s Alright
If you were to ask RITNR senior contributor Bernie Sparrow there has been no decent rock music since 1977. This means this freshly minted single that features original Angel members Frank Dimino, Punky Meadows, and Danny Farrow will be on heavy rotation in the halls of Rock is the New Roll H.Q. And, god help us when the new record comes out on April 21st, via Cleopatra Records.
The National – New Order T-Shirt
The second pre-release single from their upcoming ninth proper release, Two Pages of Frankenstein.
When he is not applying his trade with the Foo Fighters is making music with his own Americana-adjacent band. Here, he enlists the help of John Osborne and Jaren Johnstone of The Cadillac Three on this country stomper.
A perfect party song, “Hot Wheels” a song curated from the upcoming release, Can’t Die, Won’t Die, is a perfect earworm of a rock song.
On the surface, a pairing of the bad boys from Boston and Nikki Lane might seem a bit incongruous. However, listening to this song with the accompanying video of a couple working out another round of binge drinking over the phone seems to work on all levels.
From the latest Dropkick Murphys album, This Machine Kills fascists.
The new release mojo is hitting its stride this week with artists jockeying for position, releasing new singles before proper releases to see the light of ear later in the year.
Connor Selby is the real Soul-Blues deal. If Ray Charles had played the guitar instead of the piano, this is pretty much what he would have sounded like.
Dangereens are bringing their Stones meets NY Dolls meets Hanoi Rocks T Rex Boogie rock to the masses with “Lucky In Love.”
And, La Luz Frontwoman Shana Cleveland is out with a new atmospheric single, “Ghost.”
But, as per usual this is all just foreplay for the main event. Here are five newly hatched records to savor from this week’s musical selections.
Wig Wam – Out of the Dark
Widely recognized in the trade as the father of Scandaviavan ’80s Sunset Strip Rock, Wig Wam is back with gusto on this high-voltage set of tunes that will make your hair grow with each subsequent listen.
Lighters lit from the opening track, “Out of the Dark” which has a hint of Van Halen in the air if you listen closely enough, and “High n Dry” would have fit in nicely on any Billy Squire album from back in the day.
With enough interesting curves veering into ’80s Sleaze Rock, ’70s AC/DC, and even ’90s grunge in places, there is enough variety to give this one sustainability over several listens. And, we’re still trying to figure out what to make of the call to arms anthem, “Forever,” a song that literally features the style of Mongolian throat singers The Hu, along with a Celtic dirge vibe.
Come for the Ronnie James Dio splendor of “Uppercut Shazam” and stay for the blast of the Van Halen meets AC/DC of “Bad Luck Chuck” on this fun rollercoaster ride of a record.
Baby Cool – Earthling on the Road to Self Love
As debut albums go, Baby Cool’s is as fine an example as we have heard year-to-date. Firmly implanted in the hazy Psych-Pop genre, there is a certain scene setting to this record that will make you go limp in some places, and will give you over to the music in others.
The shoegaze of “The Sea” starts things off by transporting the listener to a marshmallow cloud full of peaceful vibes, and “Poison” has a bit of a surf guitar and mellotron vibe that will carry you away. And, once the slow-down, deep country evoking “Daydream” washes over your eardrums you will be looking for that last edible to end the evening in blissful contentment.
Doomsday Outlaw – Damaged Goods
Not quite shedding their Southern Rock past, there are still some heavy doses of Blackberry Smoke wafting in the air around these guys, what they have morphed into is a tightly constructed rock and roll band that can rip off Van Halen Worthy Riffs, and an AC/DC high voltage vocal barrage with equal aplomb.
The opener, “In Too Deep” burns the house down and opens up all of the cylinders to set the stage for the rock party that is about to break out. “On My Way,” cowbell indeed, is a cool hybrid of Blackberry Smoke and the Black Crows, and a potential instant classic. “Turn Me Loose” is a loose-limbed rocker, and “My Woman Comes On Strong” stacks up to anything that the Winery Dogs or Black Star Rider are throwing drown on the rock and roll front these days.
Not necessarily recreating the wheel here, when the debate continues that rock and roll is dead, Doomsday Outlaw and Damaged Goods is exhibit A to the contrary.
Laure Briard – Ne pas trop rester bleu
A strong contender for chanteuse record of the year, Laure Briard is a worthy descendant of Francois Hardy or Vashti Bunyan. Here she slips effortlessly between French and English on a sublime set of early ’60s hipster-noir tunes.
Based in Toulouse, France, while her vibe may be French, her spirit is firmly planted in the California desert, after a visit to Joshua Tree, with heavy influences from Carol King, Lee Hazelwood, and the psychedelic scene.
Translated to “don’t stay too blue,” the album title says it all about this record. There is a whimsical beauty to “My Love Is Right,” “Magical Beauty” could have fit in quite nicely in the Burt Bacharach ’60s canon, and “Me Pardonner” puts the chant in chanteuse.
Give this one multiple spins and listen for her songs in the Netflix series Emily in Paris.
CIVIC – Taken By Force
Steeped in the punk-adjacent world of Aussie pub rock, Melbourne’s CIVIC brings to the minds-ear the best of The Saints or Radio Birdman. Every song on this CBGB-worthy, kick out the jams blast of sonic energy is true to form.
“Born On The Heat” could have easily been a mid-era Clash anthem and the Pop-Punk gloss of “Wars or Hands of Time” carries the spirit of Iggy Pop in the days of The Stooges.
There is no real new ground broken here, just solid songwriting, a punk sneer, and a rebellious attitude that carries the day amongst searing guitar solos and propulsive energy. From start to finish this one rocks.
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