May 8th 2020 saw the release of one of my favourite albums of the year – Orange County’s Robert Jon & The Wreck’s ‘Last Light On The Highway’ – an album which is all you could want if you love your Southern-tinged Blues Rock.
Robert Jon & The Wreck have been releasing records since 2011, along the way being nominated for numerous awards and touring with some of Blues’ biggest names like Bonamassa, Buddy Guy and Walter Trout as well as some more contemporary revivalists like The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and The Rival Sons. It’s therefore a a record that’s taken me by complete surprise, not having heard the band before.
The 11 songs here sound like they come from a band with a history and as a result one of the first things I’m gonna do after this review is track down their past releases – this is that good!
In truth all I needed to be convinced was that opening track ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ – a rocker that relishes its Southern soulfulness and grace and one that introduced me to the fine voice of singer/guitarist Robert Jon Burrison. But it’s only one of many delights here. ‘Work It Now’ that follows is a slower number, an instant soul classic that smoulders and sports some wonderful horns- musical comfort food.
The good time danceable groove of ‘Can’t Stand It’ follows before the wonderful slide-guitar studded ‘Tired of Drinking Alone’ – a song that makes you want to pull out a bottle and say sorry to that lost love. It’s a song that I love even if it is a little Country for my usual tastes, and man those harmonies!
The guitars of ‘Do You Remember’ take us back to shiny ‘blue sky’ Southern Rock and really reminds me of The Allman Brothers, as incidentally does ‘This Time Around’ another stunning song that is perfectly suited to Burrison’s voice and even reminds me of the lighter moments of Little Caesar like ‘In These Arms’ with more of a Country leaning. It’s heady stuff even at the half-way point.
‘Don’t Let Me Go’ adds a little more ‘early-Crowes’ style grit and wailing guitar; whilst ‘One Last Time’ is another slower song that highlights the wonderful things these guys do with a comforting lyric, a golden melody and some wonderfully understated orchestration that builds to a sizzling solo.
‘Gold’ is a heart-breaker of a ballad, spilling with emotion and accented by that wonderful solo that bursts out to make you weep. It’s wonderfully emotive song-writing. Brilliant.
The final two cuts here: ‘Last Light On The Highway Part 1 and Part 2’ perhaps top the lot in scope and promise – starting out with a simple picked acoustic guitar and a gentle vocal that makes you feel there’s something better deep in the night at the end of the highway and that things will get better if we just keep pushing on. ‘Part 2’ comes like a new dawn – that same picked riff but somehow brighter before the orchestration kicks in and we build through strings and guitar to a maelstrom until finally the songs bursts into a Bluesy highway rocker that is simply a show-stopper.
I love this band.
9/10
TRACKLIST
1. Oh Miss Carolina
2. Work It Out
3. I Can’t Stand It
4. Tired Of Drinking Alone
5. Do You Remember
6. This Time Around
7. One Last Time
8. Gold
9. Last Light On The Highway Part 1
10. Last Light On The Highway Part 2
