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| J.B. Beverley feature write up on MoonRunners by Owen Mays |
Check out the write up on MoonRunners
"In less than a week, on Tuesday, November 12, one of the longest anticipated albums of the last couple of years will finally become available to the public. J.B. Beverley's debut solo album, 'Stripped To The Root'. J.B. Was kind enough to pass a copy along to me as soon as it was completed. You will not find a bigger fan of J.B. Beverley & The Wayward Drifters than me. I've shared stages, vans, and studios with J.B., Dan, and Johnny over the years, and wouldn't be the man I am today without the two Wayward Drifters records. Needless to say, the idea of J.B. Going in a different direction, and doing things that he, “can't do on a Wayward Drifters record”, had me curious, excited, and honestly, a little frightened of what I was going to hear.
To call 'Stripped' eclectic, would be one hell of an understatement. You have everything from interludes, to banjos, to distorted electric guitars, to rock songs, to folk songs. If you're coming into this album as a fan of the Wayward Drifters, believe me, come into it with an open mind, and you'll love what you're hearing. It's still J.B., but it's by no means a Wayward Drifters record.
J.B. Is joined on 'Stripped' by the Guitar Jedi himself, James Hunnicutt, and Banjoist extraordinare, mustache enthusiast(please don't kick my ass for that one, Buck), and all around badass at anything you can think of, Buck Thrailkill. A beautiful display of all three men's instrumental talents can be heard on the track, 'Bit Of Pickin'', which I'm guessing is titled as a nod to the Black Sabbath track, 'Bit of Finger'.
As far as the songs themselves go, I'm sure this will come as no surprise to most of you, but there are some beautiful, epic tracks on here. 'When I Can Make You Mine', 'Disappear on Down The Line', and the title track, 'Stripped To The Root', are all stripped down, well written songs dealing with the ups and downs of love. 'All the Little Devils' is a well delivered slab of brilliance, that takes a well needed jab at an irritating, and downright stupid trend(you'll have to hear the track for yourself to get what I'm saying). My personal favorite on the album has to be, 'Queen of the Scene'. The line, “I'll be the king of these heartbroken songs girl...you be the queen of the scene”, could not possibly be put any better. One more I have to point out, is the cover of 'Time Will Tell', written by the criminally underrated, Gene Lee Wilcox of Blue Balls Deluxe. Good to see J.B. Paying respects to him on 'Stripped'.
I have no doubt that a lot of people will be shocked by the direction this record goes in, but I'll be shocked if anyone finds the need to complain after giving it a few listens. As far as albums released in 2013 go, this is hands down my favorite, and there have been a few good ones released already.
'Stripped To The Root' will be released world wide on Rusty Knuckles on Tuesday, November 12th, and can currently be pre-ordered at Rusty Knuckles Music.
