Hard-hitting southern rock band Whiskey Myers have been tearing up the highway with their killer riffs, swampy swagger and earth-shattering soul since 2008, spawning three albums: ‘Road of Life’ (2008), ‘Firewater’ (2011), ‘Early Morning Shakes’ (2014). More recently they have made inroads to the UK (releasing their records to the market), where the style they are known for has been rising in popularity, and they’ll take this one step further in early 2016 when they tour in Britain for the very first time. To give fans a taster of what to expect, their UK record label Spinefarm has released a very special edition of the band’s celebrated second album ‘Firewater’ – the first time the record will be officially available over here, but also boasting brand new artwork and three studio tracks hailing from ‘Road of Life’.
In total the re-issue holds fifteen gut-bursting tracks, although the band carefully toe the line between all-out rock and gentler, countrier songs, twisting and turning through energetic drinking songs and emotional stories. The band’s home in Texas is partly to blame for the crossover – although frontman Cody Cannon (the man behind that roaring voice) says they prefer to be called “a Texas band playing rock ‘n’ roll rather than a southern rock act,” despite conceding that their music retains plenty of southern influences. It’s fair to state that they play more rock ‘n’ roll than country – it’s just that when that rock ‘n’ roll comes out, it comes via the conduit of a band born and raised in the Lonestar State. That’s going to have an impact on anybody’s music-making.
The 70 minute plus set opens with the party-starting ‘Bar, Guitar And A Honky Tonk Crowd’, drums grounding a track that is full-to-bursting with gritty guitars, but it’s hardly the most rockin’ track on the record. ‘Different Mold’ is perhaps the recipient of that honored title, as overdrive mixes with distortion on an extended instrumental before introducing the vocals against a beat-driven backdrop. Still, there are harsher moments and tamer moments, as with all of their songs, and the same can be said before ‘Calm Before The Storm’. This track does exactly what it says on the tin, beginning with a chilled, country rock ballad style that regularly switches to a much heavier section in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion. Another of their harder tracks is the road-weary ‘Turn It Up’, perfect for blasting out the speakers, and ‘How Far’ makes its entrance with a stage strut full of swagger as it asks a woman what he has to do to win her over. ‘Strange Dreams’ is also a contender for heaviest offering, as a clamor of guitars and drums crowd Cody’s lead vocal to the point where he is often drowned out, an effect that strikes a chord for its deliberate nature and huge sound.
Still, for all their virtuosic guitar work and attempts to blow the speakers (in a way that even I, as someone who does not identify as a rock fan, can truly appreciate), their softer moments are what make them interesting. It is here where their stories and emotive lyrics ring loud and clear. ‘Ballad of A Southern Man’ is a great example, and indeed the song is an anthem of the ages for all southern men, as well as being arguably the most “country”-sounding track on offer. The harmonica on ‘Broken Window Serenade’, meanwhile, provides a sweet but somewhat melancholic motif as Cody sings in a monotonic delivery about abandoned dreams and the unfortunate impact of the passing of time. There is an ache to it that is also present in the bittersweet longing and nostalgia of ‘Virginia’, and the acoustic beauty of ‘Song For You’, the latter of which is complete with the atmospheric crackling of a fire. Not all the twangy offerings on ‘Firewater’ are ballads, however, and ‘Anna Marie’ is a particularly catchy foot-tapper, accentuated by dobro and a cheery, spirited beat.
The final three tracks on this collection as previously mentioned first appeared on ‘Road of Life’, but they fit well with the sonics of its follow-up. The fan favorite ‘Lonely East TX Nights’, a song about struggling with a long distance relationship while on tour, features less distortion and less twang than the others here, so while not too dissimilar it does serve to open up their sound a little. ‘Summer 2005’ is equally in more of a “straight” commercial rock style, and it’s likely these two were chosen to latch onto the special edition for their resembling of a more UK-orientated mode of rock music. Meanwhile, the eight minutes plus ‘American Outlaws’ closes out the album, giving us one final reminder that Whiskey Myers are a band who rocks out, kicks ass, and truly knows how to play their instruments. The track features several sections and the whole thing has a very raw, live feel, a window into what fans can expect come 2016.
The special edition of ‘Firewater’ is out now in the UK and it’s well worth getting whether you’ve been following the group for a while or are just discovering them.
Originally posted here.
