I first came across Rayland Baxter back in 2013 when he came across the pond to support Kacey Musgraves in London on her ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ tour. Being my first ever country gig (and only my third ever gig) I went in with the wide, inexperienced eyes of naive youth, but left with a little spark of inspiration that has ignited into a consuming interest in country music.
The impression I got from Rayland during his set was one of raw, edgy songwriting, somewhat at odds to Kacey’s glamour and pop-sheen she brings on tour. I don’t think the audience particularly appreciated his craft at the time, but he was certainly an artist I kept tabs on over the years.
‘Imaginary Man’ is Rayland’s second studio album, but I’ve got to admit, it’s the first I’ve listened to. I really was not disappointed by the offering, because as I expected, the record is full of authentic songwriting and wonderful musicianship from one of the most genuine sounding artists around.
Kicking the album off with ‘Mr Rodriguez’ I was surprised at the very ‘British indie’ sound that Rayland runs with, especially with his vocals. With a prominent rhythm backing, overlaid with guitar and bass, the sound created is really cool, and very suited to Rayland’s awesome vibe.
This trend continues with ‘Oh My Captain’ which is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Immediately catchy, it is a really old school-sounding indie rock song, and wouldn’t be strange to hear coming from a Beatles-style band. This is what I mean about Rayland sounding very British, which is strange, since most British artists seem to try and sound American! I really like Rayland’s sound, although I wouldn’t label it country, or even much Americana.
‘Young Man’ shows a different side to Rayland’s music, being much more bluesy, and a little darker in tone. With more prominent bass and stark drums, as well as a powerful vocoder the dark tone on the song is quite impressive. The latter part of the song goes with the ‘Sturgill Simpson school of psychedelic sounds’ (say that five times quickly!) and really closes out the most unique and unfriendly song on the album. I’m glad it’s there though, because it’s sonically very powerful, and interesting to listen to.
I would highly recommend ‘Imaginary Man’. I think it’s a great record, and doesn’t cater for the expensive, over-produced sounds that you hear so often on the radio. It just shows how the burgeoning underground scene is very much thriving, even though the average ‘country fan’ wouldn’t know where to find the music even if they wanted to. I found Rayland through the mainstream machine, and I’m glad I did, because this album is real, and that is awesome to hear.
Originally posted here.
