It is not the first time that I talk about this band and it will definitely not be the last. A couple of years ago (find here the link: https://www.trexroads.com/the-good-the-crooked-the-high-the-horny-joe-stamm-band-2020/) impressed by the videos on this group that came from American friends, I had reviewed one of their first records and the only one that could be found on Spotify (the others I bought them on their site).
I was fascinated by the vocal power of the leader Joe Stamm and the original sound, but anchored to the roots and I liked more and more when I discovered that this crossover between country, southern and red dirt the good Joe had given the name of black dirt country rock: fantastic.
Soon I will talk about them in my radio broadcast Trex Music Club on http://www.wcnradio.it, they certainly deserve it, but this is another story.
We come to this new album and already from the cover you can see that this is not an ordinary artist. I can think of only one word to describe it, namely, a masterpiece. A visual wonder that is the perfect starter to the fantastic music, inspired, fresh, engaging and exciting that you will find in 12 pieces of Wild Man.
I had the great honor of listening to it in preview and it is something that makes me proud for the recognition of my small work of disseminating independent wonders, if then I am like this album is just a pleasure to do it.
Joe Stamm besides being the fabulous voice, also plays almost all acoustic guitars, while the band that accompanies him and session musicians are all amazing: from David Glover guitars, Bruce Moser bass, Tim Kramp drums, to quote his band but there is a real all star of musicians.
Recorded at Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville and produced by Joe himself, along with David Glover and Joe Carrell, the album saw the light thanks to a dazzling crowdfunding that allowed them to record and mix the album in a perfect way and produce crazy merchandising to the fans who contributed.
Limited edition vinyl with that cover is pure art.
Actually this year there is also a beautiful EP, called Fort Smith, only 5 songs, an ode to country, rock and red dirt. Friends to listen to absolutely!
Wild Man starts with the title track and I can tell you that alone is worth listening to this record.
I find it hard to find the words to describe it and it entered by right among the 10 most beautiful songs, for me, of the history of independent music.
An epic piece, exciting, with the voice of Joe Stamm intense and powerful to give goosebumps.
I wonder where are the big mainstream sites when I listen to such a piece, a piece of a stunning beauty, I would listen to it over and over again for hours.
The second, My Old Home, is a melancholy ballad about childhood memories, which like wooden planks of an old house are cracked, faded, but always look for a way to stay alive.
Country and violins, as in a honky tonk from the past and here comes Ahold of My Heart and as Joe says, our heart is safe and maybe is dancing this beautiful and fun piece. But does his band play? Very good!
The Day Before begins as an evocative and dreamy piece, the intense voice guides us in a melancholic country ballad, where the pedal-steel carpet and keyboards take our stomachs and excite us like the words that come out of the speakers.
The guitar embroiders a nice riff in the next Old Man, a song that oscillates between rock and country, but the protagonist is always the voice of Joe Stamm who was born to sing and tell these stories of real life, memories, emotions from the past. One of those songs that excite and wish they never ended, like the beautiful guitar solo.
Timber’s bass and guitar intro reminded me of something he said when commenting on a record by a country artist seems out of place, but trust me it’s not.
The sound tastes like the late ’60s, a British flavor, as if a piece of the late Taste (the first band by one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Rory Gallagher) was played by talented guys influenced by the red dirt of Oklahoma.
It comes out a rousing piece, fun and damn cool and bubbly. The work of guitars and even of rhythm is crazy. What a piece!
Grandma’s Bible is another epic piece. We get excited talking about memories, the past and the family: here, Joe Stamm and his voice are great and here too we go from the country ballad, to the rock ballad with credibility and then the solo breaks the air and gives us another wonderful song.
Guitars, guitars and guitars. Predators and Prey is a manifesto of the music that Joe Stamm brings around the clubs of the United States: black dirt country rock at full volume!
A rock song, exciting and played great, with its perfect voice both bad and persuasive. Live will be real fire! What a guitar scratches, really beautiful!
The beautiful album ends with a dedication to one of the greatest authors of independent Kentucky, namely Chris Knight and his The Hammer Going Down.
Another song supported by a pulsating rhythm and Stamm’s voice so beautiful, so powerful and from a fantastic work of guitars.
A record that really blew my mind, of course there were assumptions that Joe Stamm continued on the path traced by the beautiful previous record (Midwest Town, 2021), but here we are on another level.
The sound is enriched, the songwriting is refined, the stories are even more beautiful.
The wonderful Wild Man song would be enough to motivate you to listen to it, but then you will want to discover the other 11 and certainly, if you love quality rock and soul-crushing vocals, you will love the black dirt country rock of Joe Stamm and his fantastic band.
I’m waiting here for my vinyl that deserves to be in a case to show the world the beauty of its cover, at the height of the music inside: a masterpiece inside and out.
Good listening,
Trex Willer by http://www.ticinonotizie.it
(in Ticino Notizie web site you can find original italian version of this article)
