Customer Reviews

Loaded

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Waybacks are simply astonishing. If there is a band with more chops than The Waybacks, I have not heard them yet. "Loaded," like the band's three previous studio releases, continues to surprise, delight and take the listener to new musical places. The virtusosity of James Nash's guitar & mandolin playing and Warren Hood's fiddle work give you the feeling that there is simply nothing that they can not do with these instruments. Warren Hood's "dreamy" vocals fall somewhere among Harry Connick, Rick Nelson, Alison Krauss and Norah Jones, if that is possible, and it is! In live performances, Warren has every female's undivided attention after the first thirty seconds of his solos.

Unlike The Waybacks other releases, which were at least 60% instrumental, "Loaded" has one instrumental track, with the rest of the CD being "song driven." The virtuosity of their playing is used to propel each song, rather than simply dazzle, which it does without breaking a sweat.

There is not a weak track on "Loaded." As always, The Waybacks are virtually impossible to categorize and pigeon-hole into any one genre of musical styles. This CD has: Cajun, Blues, Celtic, Folk, Country, Road House Boogie, Texas Swing, Rock, Classical/Gypsy Jazz, and Americana. ALL GREAT. There is not one Bluegrass cut on the entire CD. And yet, The Waybacks continue to be grouped in the Americana/Bluegrass category by the music industry.

What is a music industry executive to do?

The only thing The Waybacks need is a Clive Davis or Live Nation to solve the "categorization" challenge and market The Waybacks to a broader audience, not just the Americana/Bluegrass listener.

I have yet to meet anyone who after seeing The Waybacks perform live doesn't say, "That is one of the best bands I have ever heard."

The new CD by the Waybacks, Loaded, is superb and full of creative, interesting and fun songs by extremely talented musicians. The group uses various acoustic and electric instruments masterfully, especially guitar and fiddle. The lyrics tell wonderful stories, and the singing and harmonies grab you right from the opening song "City Boy", a tale about an enthusiastic city guy who discovers he feels right at home by a riverbank:

Looking out from the riverbank
All that I can see
Muddy water rushing by
Let it wash all over me ...

Sometimes the world just opens up
And welcomes you right in
The glimpses of your distant dreams
Are now the places where you've been
And I'm not the kind who likes to brag
But I think I've found my home
Drifting farther from the shore
Never more to roam


This CD is very diverse and all the songs are memorable and leave you wanting to sing along. Other wonderful songs include the foot-stomping "Tired of Being Right", the sea-shanty song "Beyond the Northwest Passage", "Loaded" (tale of a man's unfortunate decision to stop at bar instead of heading straight home), and the comical and clever "Conjugal Visit".

This CD cannot be categorized into just one or two styles of music, and therein lies the beauty of this recording .... excellent musicianship, entertaining and clever songs, fun and interesting lyrics, smooth harmonies .... a winner in every way! Highly recommended!

If you are the kind of person that is perhaps a bit hesitant to take the plunge into bluegrass or folk music then perhaps you have just not been exposed to a band that certainly reveres what the folk and bluegrass movement has done but seeks to add their own flair to the genre.

Perhaps the entire bluegrass music genre has simply fallen prey to the stereotypes of guys named Cletus being the only people that would actually like a band that plays music that loosely fits the mold of bluegrass. However, what the listener is presented with when they hear the music of The Waybacks is bluegrass knocked around a few times and thrown on its head. The music is catchy and foot tapping and is a wild rock infused sort of sound that is in a class all of its own.

With their latest release Loaded serving as a good barometer as to what the music of The Waybacks is certainly all about, listeners can rest assured that this album will provide them with a sound that never borders on hokey and a feel throughout this album that indeed this band knows how to perform and produce quality music.

The Waybacks are comprised of James Nash (guitars, mandolins, vocals), Chuck Hamilton (drums, vocals), Joe Kyle, Jr. (bass, vocals) and Warren Hood (fiddle, mandolin, vocals).

The band wastes no time with bringing the listener smack dab into the middle of what The Waybacks are all about on their album opening track City Boy . An impressive emphasis on ensuring that the vocals are paired well with the instrumentation is clearly evidenced and perhaps the highlight of the track is a rather solid minute or so of strictly instrumental sounds toward the end of the track. The music is polished and seems to be an important focus of the band.

Conjugal Visit is musically just as spicy as a night in the county jail trailer might prove to be. There is a smooth sound to this track that has just the right amount of twangs and variations to it that certainly ensures for a good old fashioned time. The vocals flow well with the music and the lyrics match what is hoped for from the band just perfectly.

Perhaps one of the best tracks on the album comes on the track Black Cat . An amazing instrumental medley of music is highlighted by an amazing fast paced sound that is truly brilliant. The fiddle playing on this track is some of the most rapid yet consistent that can be found and there are times on this track that an almost Irish reel sound almost strangely works its way into the music. Though perhaps a stretch in premise, this actually works quite well in practice and this track is a true winner.

Track listing:
1. City Boy
2. Nice To Be Alone
3. The River
4. Good Enough
5. Loaded
6. Savannah
7. Conjugal Visit
8. Tired of Being Right
9. Lowdown
10. Beyond the Northwest Passage
11. Black Cat
12. Russell County Gorge

What The Waybacks have been able to do on their album Loaded is reach "way back" into something that is perhaps a bit out of the mainstream and make it good enough and interesting enough to appeal to those that might not have wished to delve into the genre of music that The Waybacks call their own.

Though certainly the band cannot be pigeonholed into one category of music over another, the band has in fact created a genre of music that could be described by using just two words: The Waybacks. There may indeed be some other bands or performers that will seek to copy what The Waybacks have been able to produce, however, the one thing they will never be able to replicate is the originality and passion The Waybacks have put into not just this album, but their music in general.

Loaded was produced by Byron House and is on the Compass Records label.

[...].

If you're a Waybacks fan, you'll enjoy this CD. But - and it's a big but - band founder Steve Coyle has left the band along with his distinctive voice (Petrified Man) and great jamming rhythm guitar.

Newcomer Warren Hood takes over sharing lead vocals and lends his violin. Warren is great - but if given a choice, I'd have picked Coyle over Hood. One of the things I enjoyed most about the Waybacks, especially live, was the way Coyle and lead guitarist James Nash played off each other. No more.

Bands change. I enjoyed Loaded, but that enjoyment is tinged by a little melancholy, too.

I went to the Waybacks concert when they came to town expecting the same unparalleled jamming and musicianship I had seen before. ... No Steve Coyle! ... I was greatly disappointed, but the crowd, mostly first-timers at a Waybacks concert was very enthusiastic. Once I was over the shock, I enjoyed the concert as well, but they should rename the band. The James Nash Band seems reasonable. Steve Coyle was a perfect foil for the histronic excellence of James Nash. Remaining in the background while Nash handled the spotlight, and filling in every weak spot in every arrangement.

Nash and Hood are excellent musicians, and they played off each other excellently, but the rock solid cornerstone of Coyle's rhythm guitar was missing from the Waybacks's sound that I respected.

Listening to the CD gives me much the same feeling. There are only a few songs that I really want to keep around for posterity, Savannah, Black Cat (instr), and Conjugal Visit come to mind, but the basis of their "goodness" is flash ... not substance.

I'll never understand this, but while I enjoy bluegrass and newgrass, one thing I can't stand is country music. I've been a longtime fan of The Waybacks, since they were playing at the Espresso Garden Cafe in San Jose and just released their 2nd CD, Burger After Church. After hearing it, I immediately bought their first CD, Devolver, and have purchased every CD they released since.

While I was excited to have their latest CD, Loaded, after waiting two years for it, I would have to say I was disappointed. It just sounds too country. I know other reviews have categorized a number of their cuts in different categories, but they all pretty much sound like country music to me. The musicianship is superb, but compared to their other work -- its a little country and I'm a little rock n roll. It just didn't work out.