Written
by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin
In
the late 2010’s there’s been a resurgence, a yearning need for roots music
revival interpreted via formative blues and country influences. Some artists come off as cheek and “retro”
simply to cash in on this movement while others channel the style straight from
the heart and dig for true emotional pay dirt when it comes to writing
songs. One such artist who’s doing
things right is New Jersey’s Michael Askin and his third EP release Road by the River is proof positive that
he knows and feels this particular sound inside and out. It’s only a 5-track release but the strength
of the songwriting contained within Road
by the River packs the punch and weight of a top-notch, full-length
record.
The
album’s namesake tune phases the EP into existence and its emphasis on
blue-eyed soul vocals and cattle rustling acoustic guitars given a whip crack
by electric riff minimalism makes for a unique difference split as far as this
style goes. Most artists choose either
acoustic or electric guitar and weave their sound around that one particular
nuance. Askin instead takes the best of
both worlds and mixes it together. The
foot-tapping, gritty up rhythms borrow a page from bluegrass and infectious
vocal hooks etch the material permanently into his audience’s ear drums. It’s a fantastic opening number that’s only
the tip of the iceberg as far as this recording is concerned.
“Nashville”
is no frills, saddle-sore country with touches of rock riffing and a smoldering
folk/blues component coming across from the application of stern mid-tempo
pacing and overlapping acoustic guitars.
A push/pull dynamic is created between the stripped-down, unplugged
melodies and the scorching rock riffs yield a track with
two distinctive personalities that is brought together by Askin’s roughhewn but
decidedly melodic vocal jambalaya. This
track is an easy standout on the EP as well its successor “Sun Going Down,” a
jam that breaks its axles on craggy, hard rockin’ blues guitar that crests atop
of the acoustics while a roaring Hammond organ sends the track’s main
instrumental melody off into the stratosphere.
There’s simply no denying the grandeur of this deep, texturally complex
piece. This track is bookended by the
desperate country rock of “Hard to Make a Living” which further fleshes out the
groove established by “Nashville” while inflecting the blues-leaned electric
riffs and howling church organ of “Sun Going Down” into its alchemical mixture
for a righteous blend of all of Askin’s many influences. That leaves curtain call number “Last Train”
to kick up a duster of twangy country folk that transcends to a psychedelic
ending full of vibrant keyboard eruptions.
It’s the penultimate closer in that it encompasses every element heard
prior on the EP but ultimately sends things off in a new direction
altogether.
Road by the
River
is without a doubt Michael Askin’s most fully realized recording to date. The songwriting reckons of an industry
veteran with at least 30 to 40 years of experience under his musical belt. After sharpening his skills for several years
in a pair of New Jersey bands, Askin has truly come full circle on his own;
highly recommended stuff.
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