Robert Jon & The Wreck – Heartbreak & Last Goodbyes
Journeyman Records
10 Tracks – 41 minutes
Robert Jon & The Wreck hail from Southern California. The band, first formed in 2011, consists of Robert Jon Burrison on lead vocals and guitar, Andrew Espantman on drums and backing vocals, Henry James Schneekluth on lead guitar and backing vocals, Warren Murrel on bass, and Jake Abernathie on keyboards. This is their ninth studio album. Dave Cobb produced the album. Dave has recently produced albums for Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, and Rival Sons. The band’s sound is firmly rooted in southern rock, but with a modern twist for today’s audiences. The album includes ten original tracks, including one, “Long Gone” co-written by John Oates.
The album opens with “Sitting Pretty” which comes blasting out of the gate with roaring guitars and frantic drums as Robert Jon proclaims he “is feeling dangerous”. Things slow down with a ballad, “Ashes in the Snow” as he sings, “a house without her is a house of pain”. “We’re just going through the motions, pretending everything’s all right.” Robert describes “Highway” as “a heartfelt love song – wide open, full throttle, and impossible to get out of your head”. He sings “We took a chance with bitter hearts and lonely dreams. We didn’t have anything to lose.”
He addresses the “Old Man” advising you “never gave a damn…from a crooked home, I learned to stand”. “Dark Angel” tells the story of a mysterious woman in ” a corner in Savannah where the sun don’t ever shine, where a man makes one wrong step and a man gets lost in time. I met a woman down there, she was good, and she was fine”. “Long Gone” is a tale of lost love as Robert Jon proclaims, “it’s all gone”.
“Better of Me” starts off with some rollicking piano before settling into something of a modern country roll as Robert Jon cites “No one can tell me who I am, I don’t have to prove a damn thing cause I can.” It is a song of empowerment encouraging to continue on through any obstacles in your path. “I Wanna Give It” slows things down and again seems to lie in modern country rock. He declares he wants to find “time and space where we can be alone”. On the title song he states, “She is the sparkle of my eye, but she only loves me with a lie. She brings me up, then tears me down. There is no peace in this side of town.” A cautionary tale about life in the fast lane ends the album as he notes “all of my friends are dead or in jail. There ain’t nothing left for me, and I announce to “Keep Myself Clean”.
The album definitely stays on the rock side of music delivered with a constant thunderous groove mixed with a modern country sound. The stories reportedly are based on real life experiences of the various band members.
