Last Rodeo by Restless Road is a delightful debut to a trio with bright futures ahead of them.
Last Rodeo – the long anticipated debut album – from Restless Road is a tour de force to be reckoned with, a phenomenally strong introduction to the trio. It paints a delightful picture of a Wild West drama, replete with honkytonk hellraisers, broken hearts and love stories, painted in broad commercial strokes.
The album opens with title track Last Rodeo and a powerful statement of intent. ‘This ain’t my last rodeo / I might be bruised but I ain’t broke / Back in the saddle, back on the road / This ain’t the first time or the last time
/ That I’ll ride, ride, ride.’ The rich depth of the baritone in the harmony mix, underlines from the off just how talented these guys are as vocalists and this strength is carried through right to the final track.
Doubtless, the heartbreak tracks on the record are where the trio can put their harmonies front and centre. So, on the duo of tracks ‘Could’ve Been a Love Song’ and ‘Roll Tide Roll,’ the trio pour heartbreak and pain into tracks with real emotional depth, brought to life by their handling of their harmonies. The former packs a punch in the catchy melodies that tell a story of regret (‘We could have been a long kiss / Girl, we had it at our fingertips / We could have had it all, we knew it all along.’) The latter is a tenderly delivered heartbreak song, stripped back to allow the harmonies to remain front and centre. What sets the track aside is the balance between harmonies and soulful solo moments – it’s vulnerable and a moving display of heartache. (‘Roll tide roll / Wash the pain right out my soul / I don’t wanna miss her no more / But I can’t help it / ‘Cause I got Bama on my mind / Even here in Mexico, oh why / Oh why, did my roll tide roll.’) More standout heartbreak moments come later in the album on ‘Easy For You to Say,’ which features some hefty vocal layering, the vulnerable and nostalgic track ‘That Town and You’ about a lost love and the memories wrapped up in a hometown, (‘There’s only two things I can’t go back to / That town and you.’) and another standout moment on ‘Most Nights’ that is brought to life with the addition of Erin Kinsey’s vocal, in a longing and heartfelt track about missed love.
This is not to say all the breakup songs on the record are heartache ballads though, elsewhere ’10 Things’ is a wittily written middle finger to an ex. You’d be forgiven from the first few seconds of this track for mistaking it for a love song, conjuring images of ‘bluebirds’ and ‘palm trees,’ before the trio reveal the real meaning behind the list – the reasons why they hate an ex. It’s a fun, romping take on heartbreak that lifts the record. ‘I’ve lost count of all the things I hate about you / If the list gets any longer I’m bound to go insane…. all the hell and the heartache that you put me through / I hate that I wasted my lovin’ on you.’ ‘Leave Them Boots On’ too offers a cautionary tale of a heartbreaker of an ex-lover. It paints a vivid Wild Western picture, rounded with fiddle and steel to the refrain of ‘Leave them boots on cowboy / Ride away.’ It’s catchy and delightfully poised.
There’s a good amount of tracks that would be right at home in a honkytonk, not least ‘Bar Friends’ that offers a boot-stomping and warm drinking song and ‘No Can Do’ that offers a classic thrumming country drinking song to the refrain ‘No can do what this can do.’ ‘Head Over Heels’ offers another boot-stomping reprieve, in the intricate tapestry of their vocals. (‘She got me mesmerised / When she walks by I’m losing my head.’) It’s raucous fun when the key change hits.
There’s a good amount of schmaltz on the record too, kicking off with the tender and sentimental ballad ‘Growing Old With You.’ It’s a corny song – that’s for sure – but what makes the track come to life is the depth and quality of the trio’s vocals. ‘What you say we put us down some roots? / Find a house up on a hill / Travel ’round the world / Put some pictures on the shelf… /I feel like growing old with you.’ ‘You Don’t Have to Love Me’ too offers a simple and warm country love song, full of rich baritone vocals and acoustic guitar infused warmth, but stand-out love song comes in the form of ‘Tell Me Not To’ – a genuine, heartfelt country love song. ‘I’m going to love you til you tell me not to / Baby I don’t wanna know, what it’d be like girl if I ever lost you.’ It’s so tenderly delivered that you can’t not fall in love with it.
Elsewhere, ‘Go Get Her’ continues to showcase the depth of the trio’s talents and growth, in their ability to balance those harmonies and put them to use, trading vocals where more emotional moments are needed. It’s a delicate balance between soaring harmonies and emotionally stripped back solo moments and it’s delicately done. ‘I promise you, you won’t regret, owning up to your mistakes, say a prayer for a second chance / Do anything to hit the brakes / Go get her, throw that bag in the truck bed / Chase her down like a sunset…don’t let her fade into a memory.’ Finally, ‘Sundown Somewhere’ and ‘On My Way’ round out the project – the former a wistful portrait of waiting for love, and the latter a reminder of the trio’s own journey. Back to back, the songs showcase the range of the trio’s talents and their potential for yet more.
Last Rodeo by Restless Road is a sheer delight – showcasing the trio’s lyrical and vocal talents, and is a rounded portrait of the band and their journey to this point. The balances they have achieved – between big harmonies and stripped back solo moments, honky tonk bangers and soulful moments – shows the depth and range of their talent, an immensely strong debut.
