“Yeah, I am creeping up on thirty come next April,” sings Isaac Gibson on “Make It Count,” an obvious highlight on “Leavin’ This Holler.” “I don’t feel old, and I guess I am really not.” You’re not—come back and see me when you’ve got T-shirts older than the people you work with. But it’s all relative, and the anthemic feel of the song, with its desire to accentuate the positive, is perfect for 49 Winchester.
But dig deeper, and you get a sense of the reason for the reflection. In October 2023, the Virginia natives were in London, opening for the megastar that is Luke Combs. At that point, it dawned on Gibson that it had been exactly ten years since 49 Winchester had formed.
And without being too glib, the song itself is arena-ready—think Springsteen or Tom Petty—and in that respect, it serves as a counterbalance on the collection. More classic than most modern country, “Favor” is at once working-class and small-town. “The world don’t care like it used to,” sings Gibson in the type of voice that is made for this stuff, but somehow it looks beyond.
“Hillbilly Happy” is a natural contrast, ready for the honky-tonk and as classic as you like. It’s fun and sounds like they all loved it. The optimism carries on even into “Yearnin’ For You,” which, in other hands, would have been a mournful discussion about missing something on the road. Here, they’re just excited to come back.
The title track (featuring Maggie Anthone) is a change of pace and proof that this band can do whatever they want. This
need to explore is evident again on “Fast Asleep,” an acoustic, more tender piece.
“Tulsa” is another ballad, but this time a ballad to feeling at home, and this sense of place is writ large throughout all of it. The lap steel on “Rest Of My Days” is so content, and even “Traveling Band” (not a cover) is more a celebration of life on the road than anything else. No one here is packing it in, that’s for sure.
A particularly skillful and forward-thinking band, the strings here are played by the Czech Symphony, giving the closing “Anchor” an epic feel – sort of like a musical.
Maybe they’re too modest. Maybe they just don’t realize how good they are. But: “We’re just a bunch of honky-tonking fools,” goes a line on “Traveling Band,” but honestly, 49 Winchester is so much more. “Leavin’ This Holler” has them going worldwide. It’s as simple as that. This time it won’t take a decade.
Rating: 9/10
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REVIEW: 49 WINCHESTER – LEAVIN’ THIS HOLLER (2024)
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