By Jeremy Harris
In my mind, The Phillip Fox Band is already somewhat established,
which makes it a little weird that "Heartland" is their first full
length album. At least they came out swinging for the fences in what
they refer to as "Country-Fried Rock'n'Roll" just as I hoped they would
with a great mix of varying songs that were uniquely assembled with help
from fans that were given the opportunity to vote for the songs the
band had written to prepare for this release. The first few seconds of
the album sets the tone for the listener with the banjo intro of "You
Are The Girl" which quickly transforms into an upbeat love song that
features Phillip's signature raspy vocals backed by a killer drum beat
and a good mix of banjo and electric guitar.
The beat and energy remain high through the next few songs and even
offer some good sing along moments before toning it down for "Lovin
You". This is where I feel the band truly shines as they slow it down
and bring in unexpected amounts of vocal range to compliment great
instrumentation, all while appealing to the listener with smart, relatable
lyrics. Unless you've never been in love or worked for a jackass, then
it's relatable.
"Ava Lee" comes in next and it's a very good song but my inner twelve
year old keeps singing "Anally" so maybe I'll just move on...
The next four tracks "Nothin Worse Than Weak," "Heartland," "We All Lose
Somethin" and "I'd Be Runnin Too" provide as wide of a range of
"Country-Fried Rock" as you'll ever find in any artists' complete
library all packed into consecutive songs. While all four definitely are
more on the rock side of things, they are all over the spectrum of the
genre and stand out yet somehow blend the album together all at the same
time.
Obviously cancer sucks. Obviously most songs that hit on the subject
aren't exactly upbeat and life inspiring given the topic at hand.
Fortunately, especially considering Phillip recalls his wife's own
battle,"Cancer Cannot" is actually an inspiring, upbeat and uplifting
track about what cancer can't do and the perseverance of the human
spirit and body. Having personally experienced family members having
every possible outcome of the disease, I truly appreciate this one for
what it is.
How does eight and a half minutes of badassery sound? Buy the album,
take a listen, and after you've heard 11 tracks that are tied together
by their differences as much as they are by their similarities you'll
find out when the 11 becomes a 12. "I Ain't Angry" brings the highs, the
lows, the fast and the slow all together in one final, kickass
masterpiece that rounds out the package the way you'd hope it would.
Kinda like Luke Bryan falling off the stage but here's the kicker...
he's not getting back on. Yep, it ends that awesomely.
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RIYL: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Reckless Kelly.
Available at
Amazon,
iTunes and
the band's site.