I had a doubt before writing this review, namely whether to really write about what aroused me or try to be less excited and maybe soften the enthusiasm. Here we have not made it and we tell you clearly: in my opinion this Whiskey Myers (Wiggy Thump Records, 2019) is a masterpiece. A brave record that comes after a very long gavetta started with the first album (Road of Life of 2008), rough but full of songs that already left an intuition of talent out of the ordinary both lyrical and compositional and executive, continued as a climb and culminated with Mud in 2016, with the wise direction of Dave Cobb who, as a true magician of production has left them free, limited to instructing them on how to build their own sound. And here it is, self-produced, with a completely white cover, no frills and that suggests the will to put at the center of all the music and who makes it alive: Cody Cannon, John Jeffers, Cody Tate, Jeff Hogg, Jamey Gleaves and Tony Kent. Without makeup and without deception… only pure talent that makes them, more than many other great bands, the absolute reference of the new american rock. The record is played great, thought and finished in no time and with the net to act as a launch pad: the Whiskey Myers have launched a mega tour, even European, (live are even better) and six singles to anticipate this work to make the mouth watering fans and to make curious those who still did not know them well. An official Facebook fan club that now gathers thousands of followers from all over the States but also from the rest of the globe, has helped a lot this DIY marketing. A band that is no different from its hard and pure fans, simple, with strong ideals and convictions (God, Homeland and Family) that transport with pride in the lyrics: their stories are true and lived by poets and storytellers… directly from Palestine, Texas. If they were born in the golden age, that of the Gods on Earth, they would surely have been a point of reference, like the Lynyrd Skynyrd of which today they are the most direct and credible heirs. A sound that define only southern now seems reductive. It’s only american rock: there’s the southern but also soul, rock and even punk and country. A trip that starts in a rocket with Die Rockin’, a piece that immediately takes, with a soul of the South and the central bridge that seems to come from Muscle Shoals, in which the choirs of the legendary Mccrary Sisters fit perfectly: Hard riff and solo complete a piece that is a true southern masterpiece, dirty but with a gentle soul. Mona Lisa is also rock, fast and with the backing vocals that complete it. The voice of Cody Cannon, as in previous works, is the extra weapon but the guitars and the central riff give this song an irresistible groove ; as the text always inspired by strong feelings. As in an emotional roller coaster, with Rolling Stone the speed drops visibly and we find a piece introduced by the harmonica and with a solar appeal, to listen with the windows lowered and the sun in front. We don’t have time to get used to this sound inspired by Waylon Jennings that guitarist John Jeffers takes the microphone and shoots us in the face Bitch, a not so veiled dedication to pop country and commercial music: a piece that seems to come from a jam session between the Beastie Boys and the Lynyrd Skynyrd (I swear to you). Spoken text and riff that gets under your skin: live makes you even more and the desire to jump is automatic. Funny and bad, punk with a taste of whiskey, irony and intelligence. It’s not enough to know how to play, you have to know how to do it thinking. Gasoline has in the title everything you need, fuel for a rock from bad riff and a rocker performance of Cannon breed to voice, there are also sprayed with Nirvana for anger with which we shoot in the face what he needs : a Bible, a gun and plenty of fuel. The guitar scratches the amps and the effected solo is very grunge. They are not afraid of being American and Texan, the criticism does not touch them but rather reinforces them. They are not mainstream in ideas, they believe in it and they feel it. When you get used to this sound, there’s a mandolin and violin arpeggio, country of the bloodiest one: here’s Bury My Bones, a fantastic piece, as exciting as his lyrics: Whiskey Myers are credible both as rockers and as storytellers and a skill so we track only in the great. References to their land are always in the foreground, roots count and are important. The riff of Glitter Ain’t Gold is rhythmic and soul choirs fit perfectly, there is no note out of place… as if the Stones had met a band from Texas and a piece of it sparkled and is better than gold. Beautiful. Country is in the blood of these guys, the one at Jennings, and Houston County Sky is a piece of country set in their land, with the background stories of life lived. We see this sky, we feel the smell of the desert. If a big rock and roll band had played in a saloon in the old West would have come out Little More Money… sand clouds, guns and Cannon’s voice to guide us on a journey between guitars and the canyon. The solo then breaks the air and is one of the most beautiful of the record. The arpeggio that introduces California to Caroline is beautiful, a semi-ballad between steel-guitar and soul choirs: exciting passage of life lived. The work of the guitars and production of the band is truly remarkable, a perfect sound that frames their well-known lyrical ability. The bloodier and almost gothic southern flows and overwhelms us with Kentucky Gold: a riff made to dance but deep and gloomy, with the solo and the text embedded in a gem that shines with its own light. Telling you she’s one of the most inspired is a foregone conclusion, except that they’re all inspired. The light , that filters through the dark scratches left by the previous song, it was necessary and gives it Running that is a piece to play and sing in an on the road, of those that Italians dream of doing on Route 66. Acoustic guitar, choirs and solos nothing is trivial or left to chance, it is difficult to do it in 14 pieces but ours succeed great even in this. No filler but a sound that can really be a reference for other bands that will come. After a song like that could only come one of the most rock songs and with the heaviest riff of the record, Hammer beats as a hammer should do and the harmonica is the icing on the cake most southern rock of the work. A riff of those murderers and , I tell you to do , the voice on the shields. A ugola was born for the rock that of the good Cody Cannon. That’s another beautiful piece. We came to the end and we could also call ourselves satisfied and instead the Whiskey Myers raise the bar and draw a piece that will undoubtedly be remembered as their Free Bird or their Sympathy for the Devil. Bad Weather starts with an exciting arpeggio and gives a vocal performance of Cody Tate (who should have written to the voice profession : guitarist) absolutely fantastic and that makes us understand that the band does not stand on one entity but is a real group, all for one and one for all. A long piece, in which the steel guitar accompanies and excites and usually the lyrics paint a true modern poetry. A gem of country soul rock and blues, which does not have a single genre but this is its strength, as the solo intertwined between electric guitars and steel guitar, courage and skill in one of the most beautiful songs of recent years. A masterpiece to close a masterpiece. The whole ending of solos is the seal of quality, the legacy of the Lynyrd Skynyrd is in safe hands, very sure. In Italy they have not much follow, unfortunately, but I hope to succeed in my small to arouse interest in a job that would be a mortal sin to leave only to a slice of listeners fond of country or southern. It’s a large record, without a dominant genre, it’s just rock, it draws on the Encyclopedia that started in the ’50s with Elvis and passed through the Rolling Stones, punk and Lynyrd Skynrd, Nirvana and Tom Petty, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash but then gives him a fingerprint and a personal touch and self-production certifies this : it’s a Whiskey Myers record. Now they are the inspiration for others and I would not want to be in their shoes, because after an Exile On Main Street people expect confirmation and that the story continues, but we are sure that the guys from Palestine, Texas will not disappoint, indeed. Now they are the ones to dictate the rules of the game and we look forward to the next chapter. (P.S. sorry if I was long-winded or redundant, but in the face of certain works of art I never succeeded in summarizing a few words.)
Good listening,
Trex Willer
(you can find the original italian article at this link : https://www.trexroads.com/whiskey-myers-whiskey-myers-2019-2/ )
