Country

Alistair James Hits New Heights with the Anthemic “Queen of Big Livin” – Single Review

8th Dec 2024 — Leave a comment

Alistair James’ latest single sees him stretching his musical horizons with a hearty piece of country rock.

Drawing on influences such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and David Bowie, James combines beautifully woven lyrics with classic rock riffs on the Queen of Big Livin’.

The riffs, in particular, reminded me of The Rolling Stones, with their bluesy, in-your-face energy that strikes you from the very first notes.

This perfectly suits the lyrics, which James crafts around these riffs, using characters to build a compelling narrative that hooks into the momentum created by the excellent guitar and drum work.

Things switch up nicely when the bridge hits, bringing in a warmer melody that breaks from the punchy style of the verse and chorus.

Overall, the track comes together seamlessly, weaving the influences of The Stones and Ryan Adams to produce a wonderful track.

Alastair James’ “It’s Time To Move On”: A Defiant Foot-Stomping Anthem – SINGLE REVIEW

4th Jul 2024 — Leave a comment

The latest single from Alastair James combines the very best of Rock and Americana to produce a delightful foot stomping anthem.

Taking influence from the likes of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, the Middlesbrough singer-songwriter blends genres and ideas on the track to excellent effect as he continues his comeback after time away from music.

James addresses his personal struggles in the lyrics, singing about the vertigo he suffered as a result of surgery on his hand and leg, and the mental strength it took to get him back to doing what he loves.

Both musically and lyrically, the track is defiant, opening with a distorted guitar intro that is guaranteed to get your foot tapping. This driving guitar line perfectly complements the lyrics about moving on, triumphantly gliding through the track.

The influence of heroes such as Springsteen and the Kinks is evident by the time the song reaches the soaring anthemic chorus.

The overall effect makes you feel as though you could be on a road trip down Route 66, with a real uplifting heartlands feel.

A beautifully played guitar solo adds to the tracks positivity and builds anticipation for an amazing climax.

Overall, this song radiates positivity and heart, with James defiantly moving on from his struggles and, with music as good as this, into a bright future.

Single Review – Different Kind of Heartbreak – Matt Dunbar & The Autonomous Collective

18th Jun 2020 — Leave a comment

A ‘Different Kind of Heartbreak’ is the debut single by local Americana band Matt Dunbar & The Autonomous Collective.

Matt Dunbar & the Autonomous Collective

The single shows the band reacting to the allegations surrounding Ryan Adams and the loss of trust in idols.

That is immediately clear in the vocals which are delivered in a passion filled strain which goes a long way to selling the song.

Lyrically, the song is punchy whilst perhaps not the most unique, the simplistic tone works with the subject matter demanding a raw response.

The narrative of the song is one which many people can relate to, the idea of someone you respect and idolize disappointing you and this is conveyed well within the track.

However, the lyrics do become weaker as the track progresses as the song title is repeated and repeated.

Whilst this plays into the catchyness of the single, it does get repetitive after hearing the same phrase repeated 15 times in a three minute track.

Despite this, the track delivers well on it’s message and keeps focus throughout.

From a musical standpoint the track is extremely well produced, the rich lead guitar line underneath the verse deliver dreamy distorted riffs which really add to ambiance of the track.

The punch of the band exploding to life at the start of the chorus also works well delivering big country vibes of which the lyrics also appear to have taken influence from.

The track as a whole is well put together and sounds easy on the ear and is definitely worth checking out especially if you’re into country and folk.

Different Kind of Heartbreak is out on Friday 19th June 2020 on Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp.

If you would like your music reviewed drop me an email at humbugnortheast@gmail.com.