The mix of country music with hard rock and blues on this works so well. The vocals are exceptional. They convey emotion, power and soul. All in all, this is quite a strong set.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.
Track by Track Review
Black River Magic Take country music and classic pop rock and merge them together. You'll have a good idea of the sound here. The female vocals are soulful and gutsy. The vocal hooks a great, too. This has a lot of style and charm and really rocks. The tune has a drop section that is basically just the percussion and vocals. It's a nice touch.
No Fool I like the bluesy edge of this number. This has more of a balladic structure, but doesn't lose any vitality or emotion in the change. The tune also powers up for emphasis. The country concept is still at play here.
Broken Record Hard rocking guitar starts this cut. The bluesy country edge comes to the piece via the vocal performance.
Leave Me Slow A bit more balladic, the country sounds are merged with folk on this number. It still has some rocking energy, though.
Wytch Hunt The closer is more of a bluesy hard rocker. The vocals bring the country edge. This has as much in common with the blues rock of the 70s as it does with country music, though. It's a great tune that really does an excellent job of ending things in style. The hard-edged instrumental movement is on fire.