It’s been 5 years since I discovered this band.
Yes, because long before being overwhelmed (in a good way) by the independent world, I wrote for an Italian music magazine (Magazzini Inesistenti) and, after years spent reviewing “historical” artists, I was looking for something new, especially for us Italians.
I discovered Chris Stapleton first and then, thanks to fan groups on Facebook, Cody Jinks and a cascade of new fantastic independent music.
Trex Roads would never have existed without my American connections and thanks to them in 2019 I listened to and reviewed The Lowdown Drifters‘ debut, “Last Call for Dreamers“.
Maybe I was one of the first to talk about that wonderful debut, even before many American sites and I’m really proud because, today, that band is reaping the success it deserves and, after so many singles and EPs, they finally give us a new album.
If their debut had come out today in this golden moment for independent music, they probably wouldn’t have had to wait so long to be recognized as one of the best bands, but perhaps this long apprenticeship in small and passionate venues has enriched them.
In these 5 years they have shared the stage with many artists in many cities and, as I have often told you, the collaboration between these musicians is the secret behind the independent world and in fact today to celebrate the release of this album, the Lowdown Drifters opened the concert of Shane Smith & The Saints at the Ryman in Nashville. Not bad!
The band is led by the fantastic voice and character of “Big John” Cannon, a frontman like few others and is made up of elements of pure talent: Reina Wallace on bass and second voice, Dylan Welsh on lead and rhythm guitar, Doug Rehfeldt on violin, Josh Willaert on drums and on keyboards the great Drew Harakal (already known for having played in the band of the legendary Cody Jinks).
With Jinks, they now also share the city, that is Fort Worth, Texas, even if the Lowdown Drifters come from the Northwest of the States.
This In Time is only composed of 8 songs, it’s true, but they are 8 songs of a simple and sparkling beauty under a sun that finally gives importance to real music, played for real.
The album recorded in Norman, Oklahoma and produced by Wes Sharon (famous for having collaborated with the legendary Turnpike Troubadours) is a perfectly dosed mix of country, rock and southern: a rock soul of Seattle immersed in the dust of the Texan sound.
The guitars welcome us when we start the title track and the wonderful voice of Cannon envelops us in this journey full of rock and energy: it was really “time” that we waited for new music and the wait was not in vain.
The path traced by the first song continues at a sustained pace also in the following Ghost: guitars and vivid and real lyrics.
Another energetic rock ballad, with a fantastic solo, that tells us about a relationship that transforms a man into a “ghost” and that the emotional voice of Big John makes so real and that penetrates the soul.
Reina Wallace is not only a great bass player, but also a talented songwriter and has a voice that seems born to complement that of her frontman: well, all this is so damn exciting in the melancholic ballad Awful Truth, where the two voices, narrating different points of view, complete a beautiful musical picture.
Burn, introduced by the violin, is another piece that “burns” emotion in the heart and perhaps the most country of the lot.
Two beautiful voices and a melancholic violin supported by the acoustic guitar: a gem with a lot of Texan flavor.
The next song, Fatherless, is another ballad that draws energy from the guitars, the kind we would like to hear in a small, smoky club, with a lived-in text that exudes real emotions: mistakes made and that we hope not to repeat.
The guitars whizz through the explosive rock of Nothing’s Sacred, one of my favorites and that will set many stages ablaze live, which we hope will be increasingly important and “headliner” ones.
The album closes with two wonderful covers that the band honors so much by making them “their own” with talent and character: Streets of Aberdeen by Hellbound Glory and Trucker Speed by Fred Eaglesmith.
A return that I eagerly awaited and it did not disappoint me.
Sometimes some artists include too many songs in their albums, weighing them down: well, The Lowdown Drifters do not make this mistake and these 8 songs reach a perfect balance of writing, arrangement and execution, helped by a quality production.
The mix between the musical culture of the Northwest and that of Texas has made them one of the most original bands on the independent scene and their talent, combined with the experience of having shared their musical life with great artists, has made them what they are today: a band of absolute level and aware of their means.
My hope is not to have to wait so long for the third album and to see them soon on this side of the Ocean.
Enjoy,
Trex
