Monthly Archives: November 2025

Album Review: Dan Lawson Band – Relevant Chaos

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photo courtesy of Dan Lawson

Album Review of Dan Lawson Band: Relevant Chaos

A Dan Lawson Band record is always a rockin’ blues treat. Back in 2021, I reviewed the band’s Abyssal Plain record. This record, Relevant Chaos, is the band’s follow-up release. As with its predecessor, this album is a collection of excellently-delivered, raucous, gritty blues and blues rock, sounding much like it would at a dimly-lit, seedy bar, one whose well-worn condition belies the quality of the music within. You know, the kind where all the best bands play, but only the regulars are in on the secret.

“Wear It Well” kicks things off with a steady blues rhythm section, shouted-sung complaint-styled vocals belted atop, and some old-school blues rock riffs. A song like this? Well, it fits like a well-worn favorite shoe.

image courtesy of Dan Lawson

Just when you think you might have the album’s sound pegged, though, “Outway Street” follows, launching itself into some much funkier blues, particularly in the dancing axework, and most certainly during the aggressively funky solo. Still, the vocals attack, just as in the opening number. “Yeah, right!”

Versatility shows up in spades on the next track, as the band goes balladic with “Just Ain’t Easy.” It’s a damn fine classic rock ballad – a 5-minute slow song with a couple of big guitar solos, ideal for canoodling on the dance floor – with a bluesy edge. As repeated throughout the song, for emphasis, “Well, well.”

The band returns to the blues with an old-school rhythm and some nifty fretwork on “Let’s Ride.” Not a fast tempo, per se, but man, it’s persistent. This is one of those tracks that’ll get you bouncing out of your seat while you listen.

The band returns to a slower tempo on “Because” a meandering blues ballad with a commercial smoothness that’s actually the antithesis of some of the Dan Lawson Band’s rawer uptempo numbers. Of course, I love musical variety and am pleased when a talented band shows breadth of capabilities on a single record. Plus, this is a heck of a song.

Speaking of variety, “Yo Mama” is a swinging blues number, well-suited to a dancehall, a great tune to get the dancefloor hopping again following a slow dance number like “Because.”

The album ends with a 45-second guitar-noodling “Prelude” before the massive, musically-swirling, attention-absorbing “Story of the Blues,” a song that’ll have you swaying, hoping it’ll never end, as the guitarwork swirls and the agony-drenching deep blues vocals are delivered with strength and power. Early in the song, you’ll find yourself with your eyes closed, swaying along, and finally wondering after more than 6 minutes why the song ended so soon. If there’s anything that’ll get a listener to think “I’ve gotta hear that album again,” it’s a booming closing number like this one.

Throughout, Relevant Chaos does a great job of portraying how much fun a Dan Lawson Band live show would be, packaged into a recording that’s an equally fun listen. Or, at least, almost so. Nothing’s as good as a great live band in a live setting. But Relevant Chaos captures most of thay cool live energy. For rockin’ blues fans, it’s a must-listen 8-song collection.

Looking Ahead

The Dan Lawson Band is a 2025 New England Music Awards nominee in the “Blues Act of the Year” category; they’ll find out on Sunday if they’ve won, but with all the amazing blues in New England, every band nominated is pretty dang good. (In other words, it really is an honor to be nominated, even if they don’t win on Sunday.)

Album Review: Tyler Nail – Family

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photo courtesy of Tyler Nail

Album Review: Tyler Nail – Family

Tyler Nail‘s trademark, identifiable, tuneful warble may be the most obviously original component of his heartfelt, soul-touching, country-tinged Americana, but the choices he makes in song structure, instrumentation, and arrangement are what nudge his 8-song album Family into instant classic territory. Just as importantly, Nail kicks things off with perhaps the album’s most memorable song, “9 Pound Hammer.” It’s certainly the fastest of the collection to grab hold, but within a few listens, it’s definitely not alone.

Tyler Nail moved to Rhode Island in 2024, leaving behind his native North Carolina, where, based on the multiple awards and award nominations he received, his talent was clearly acknowledged. In just a short time, he is already embraced by his new locale, receiving accolades here in New England, too. Tyler was nominated for Motif Magazine’s 2025 Rhode Island Music Awards in the Favorite Americana Artist and Favorite Singer/Songwriter categories. He is also a 2025 New England Music Awards nominee in the Songwriter of the Year, Performer of the Year, Americana Act of the Year, and Video of the Year categories. (The Video of the Year nom is for Tyler’s “Away from Home” video; the video and song predate the release of Family.)

image courtesy of Tyler Nail

Family, as I mentioned, opens with “9 Pound Hammer.” The song paints a picture both lyrically and musically, its lively energy delivering a matter-of-fact, slice-of-life-ness as Nail’s vocals, including that trademark vocal tone, paint a picture of life, pride, and the inevitable technological advancement that can leave even the most hard-working among us behind. I mean, it’s also just a really cool song that’ll get stuck in your brain, something you’ll simply enjoy listening to, too.

“Cussing at a Neon Sign” follows, its pleasant picking pattern well-suited to the song’s nostalgic delivery, one that elicits warmth while envisioning the pictures painted by the song’s lyrics.

The rest of the album continues with mellow, often melancholy, well-written, picture-painting musings, showcasing Nail’s very identifiable, compelling vocal style atop varying strumming patterns, tempos, and arrangements, varied enough for an eight-song, similarly-soft-tempoed collection to remain interesting from beginning to end. It’s a rewarding complete listen, thanks to Nail’s songwriting and performance skills.

The album’s third song, “I Don’t Mind the Rain” is a soulfully Americana-styled storyteller that’s probably the record’s most likely entrant to get the listener swaying pleasantly side-to-side. Like so many of the songs on this album, this one, too, is a lyrical masterwork.

photo courtesy of Tyler Nail

The picking pattern at the beginning of “Jose Pozo” and a uniquely wide-open sound bed, with an almost western twang in some of the acoustic guitarwork, lend it a cool, unique sound that’s slightly unlike anything else on the disc; of course, it still showcases Nail’s unique vocal delivery and sticks to the record’s relatively slow pace.

The back half of the record begins with “Let’s Go Home,” an ultra-slow-paced, melancholy number. “Someday (acoustic)” follows, an almost ominous-toned tune with a slight mystical edge in the picking and strumming.

“Way to Live” continues the record’s quiet, thoughtful mood, though a bit more nostalgic in this case. For traditional country music fans looking for a guitar-picking soft Americana number as a playlist change of pace, “Way to Live” might be just what you seek in this collection.

Family closes with the wistful “Japanese Cherry Tree.” The rich, warm opening vocals are a nifty touch. The song’s gentle but firm strumming, Nail’s trademark warbly crooning style, and the lyrics’ earnest delivery, all wrapped in a package that’s pleasant to listen to, are a fine representation of Nail’s sonic specialties. Though my personal favorite songs on the album, when I look back after listening, are usually “9 Pound Hammer,” “I Don’t Ming the Rain,” and “Way to Live,” while I’m listening to it, “Japanese Cherry Tree” is my favorite for the six-plus minutes of its duration, making it a solid way to conclude the eight-song listening experience.

Family is a terrific collection of well-written songs from a troubadour New Englanders can consider themselves lucky to call a new neighbor, a resident country-folk-Americana artist with exceptional songwriting talent.

More Recently

On Halloween, Tyler Nail released a new single, “Haunted Houses.” You can find it here on his Bandcamp page.

Single Review: Pylot – “Faded Light” (feat. Ezra Hyte)

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image courtesy of BJF Media

Single Review of Pylot: “Faded Light” (feat. Ezra Hyte) (FiXT)

With “Faded Light,” Pylot delivers a haunting synthwave-based, emotionally powerful, radio-friendly pop song whose pattern-based, light-touch, scattershot synth and rhythmic drumbeat combine in a musical backdrop ideally suited to Ezra Hyte‘s emotional vocals. On this recording, Hyte’s vox remind me of Dean Lewis, while Pylot’s music bed is sparse enough to let the vocals drive the melody.

cover art: Pylot – "Faded Light" (feat. Ezra Hyte)

image courtesy of BJF Media

The tempo of “Faded Light” is slow, but the rhythm bounces like a boxer dancing around the ring, sizing up the melody, as Hyte’s vocals reside in the echoey, soft-touch, heart-wrenching yet pleasantly tuneful end of the Lewis-esque sincere power-pop vocal range.

In the end, Pylot’s music and Hyte’s voice combine on “Faded Light” to deliver a sad song that’ll appeal to a broad range of music fans, from those whose heartbreak songs are usually of the classic rock variety to listeners with more modern tastes. Simply put, this is a very cool song music fans really ought to be aware of; if you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favor and give it a spin.

EP Review: Nikki and the Barn Boys – Where Do We Go From Here

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photo courtesy of Nikki and the Barn Boys

EP Review of Nikki and the Barn Boys: Where Do We Go From Here

The vocals are a key driver of Nikki and the Barn Boys‘ sound, kind of a wail, sometimes a howl, but with power and edge and an almost crooning nature to them, if that’s possible. Regardless, it’s a unique amalgam packaged in a familiar, comfortably noisy guitar driven alt-rock jangle. Sure, the band is a New England Music Awards nominee in the New Act of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year categories. We’ll find out whether or not they take home any hardware on November 16th. Indeed, the band fully earns its inclusion among New England’s finest with this four-song, NEMA-nominated EP, Where Do We Go From Here.

photo courtesy of Nikki and the Barn Boys

Album-opener “Sacramento” is a catchy strummer. The scratchy, attention-grabbing opening, the captivatingly distant “oo-oo” background, and the pace that feels more uptempo than it really is. This is an opening track that’s instantly engaging. It’s energetic yet sports a too-cool-for-you-all, tunefully flippant vocal delivery.

“Fall In” follows, a noisy, energetic, emotionally wrought wailer. It has a bit of a modern vibe, but for those who remember the times, it brings back all those jangly old ’90s college rock feels.

NEMA Song of the Year nominee “Strawberry Hill,” track three, has a motoring beat that’s a little reminiscent, for me, of Bridget Davis & the Viking Kings, but Nikki and the Barn Boys are a fair bit more energetic, distorted, and enthusiastic. The tempo isn’t particularly fast, but the amount of energy the song generates makes it seems deceptively lively.

image courtesy of Nikki and the Barn Boys

Finally, “Drowning” concludes the collection. It’s a bigger, broader, more empty-spaced crooner, with the music building and pausing to emphasize the more heartfelt, wail-meets-howl chorus.

Where Do We Go From Here is a great four-song introduction to a modern alt-rock band with a timeless style. If you’re looking for music that’s a fun mid-tempo romp with beguiling hooks that seems as if it may be a little cooler than anything else you’re into, you’ve gotta check out Nikki and the Barn Boys.

Album Review: Jennifer Lyn & the Groove Revival – Retrograde

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photo by Wyatt Ell; photo courtesy of Blind Raccoon

Album Review of Jennifer Lyn & the Groove Revival: Retrograde

I’ve been following Jennifer Lyn & the Groove Revival for several years – heck, I have Jennifer Lyn’s 2016 single “I’m All Wrong for You Baby” and a couple songs from the band’s 2018 Badlands album on my #PhoneOnShuffle playlist – and am glad to finally have an opportunity to share this top-shelf blues-rock (or rockin’ blues) band’s music with you here at the blog. Indeed, the band’s style is so densely packed in the style of psychedelic ’70s blues-rock bands, it’ll appeal to classic rock fans, yet there are some pure blues elements that’ll also appeal to blues fans. Double whammy, if you will. Two fan-bases for the price of one. And dayum, this is some tasty tuneage.

image courtesy of Blind Raccoon

The album opens with the sidewinding, psychedelic classic rock vibe of “Light the Fire.” The song features plenty of classic guitar crunch but with lots of white space between the riffs, making room for Lyn’s powerful voice to soar as the song builds to power, relents, then builds again. Next, “Searching for Solid Ground” is organ-heavy and, while a natural progression from the disc-opener, is lighter and a bit more musically playful.

There’s almost a “Got No Shame” vibe in the opening of “Sucker for the Pain,” one of my favorite tracks on Retrograde. It’s followed by “Refuge,” a powerful, soulful, meaty, slow-tempoed song that’ll stick with you; it features kind of a church-organ vibe to the keys and has a nifty, noodly, bluesy classic guitar rock solo just past the halfway mark that’ll make your hair stand on end in spots.

“Do Bad Things to You” follows. It’s a raucously fun song with a Thorogood-esque, thumpin’ tempo supporting vocals that reach hard-rock-wail every time the song climaxes.

photo courtesy of Blind Raccoon

Then the album returns to smooth soulfulness with “Soul Saver,” a song with a bit of a pop-rock vibe, though more likely an album track on a ’70s/’80s guitar-driven, mid-tempo pop-rock disc, as it’s more of a nifty album-listening, organ-driven, jangly tune with kind of a travelin’ feel to it. It’s not exactly hooky pop-rock radio fare, which is OK because it’s not trying to be, but it’d be a favorite of many fans who bought the album.

“’59 Cadillac” is another fun romp, a mid-tempo funky blues rock number that proclaims “I don’t care if he’s coming back. I got his ’59 Cadillac.” Gotta respect that energy!

The bluesy guitar riff opening “Breaking Chains” has kind of a wide-open-spaces, old west vibe to it. The song’s energy is powerful yet light and uplifting, and there’s a neat little repeating guitar riff threaded throughout the song that helps hold it all together.

photo courtesy of Blind Raccoon

The album’s penultimate number, “Baggage,” is a lot rougher around the edges. It howls, wails, and squeals its message – blues-rockingly, of course – with an insistence that can’t be denied. I think we can all relate to this number, unfortunately, with lyrics like, “As much as I’ll miss your lovely face, your baggage won’t fit in my suitcase.” In the end, this is an energetic, commiserating number, one that rejoices in kicking the baggage to the curb.

The album closes with “Do It All Again,” a psychedelic, moderately-paced guitar rock number that’d fit in perfectly on a psychedelic ’70s rock LP. I half-expect the song to rattle and pop a bit like overplayed vinyl. But no, this is classic-influenced guitar rock in all its modern digital awesomeness.

If you like classic rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, or guitar rock, this is likely to fall into your musical wheelhouse. Jennifer Lyn & the Groove Revival are a band you should be following, if you don’t already. Retrograde is a great beginning-to-end listen. My personal favorites on this album are “Sucker for the Pain,” “Do Bad Things to You,” “’59 Cadillac,” and “Baggage,” but there’s not a bad song in this collection, so your favorites are likely to differ.