For more than 20 years, Philip Shouse has made Nashville his base — the sort of place where the lines between “scene,” “community,” and “family” get blurred on a nightly basis. It’s there he co-hosted Thee Rock N Roll Residency, a recurring jam-session hang that’s pulled in a properly ridiculous roll call over the years, from shock-rock god Alice Cooper to Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Halestorm powerhouse Lzzy Hale, and Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover.
And when he’s not on a stage somewhere, the Alabama native is also the co-founder and co-owner of Rock N Röll, a Swedish non-alcoholic beer company — because apparently even his “off” switch still comes with a side of rock ’n’ roll.
And after more than two decades of being right in the thick of it — backing others, hosting the party, helping keep the whole thing moving — he’s clearly reached the point where he’s got his own stuff to say, too.
Which brings us to this five-tracker.
“Run Away From You” is, frankly, the sort of thing that feels custom-built for me — look, it’d be called Andy’s Road if it was any further up my street. It’s pure rock ’n’ roll with that Black Crowes / Stones kind of strut, a groove that just walks in like it owns the place and doesn’t bother asking permission.
From there, “Naked Empress” flips the angle into power pop territory, even carrying a bit of Replacements ragged charm — melodic as hell, but with scrapes on its knees and a grin that says it doesn’t care if you approve.
Then comes “It Gets Better”, and it lands like a reminder that this is the work of someone who’s an absolute master of his craft. No wasted moments, no padding, no messing about — just a songwriter who knows exactly what they’re doing, and does it with minimum fuss and maximum impact.
“Won’t Let Go (Again)” takes things more acoustic, but it’s not “soft.” It’s close-up, honest, and the emotion hits harder because there’s nowhere to hide — the kind of track that earns its space by saying less and meaning more.
And then “Time Bomb” seals it. “I’m so sorry for the person I am,” he sings — and if this EP was born out of wanting to say something, you can easily imagine it all starts right here. Plus that weird 60s, moog-ish lead is proof that he can still swerve into the unexpected whenever he fancies.
If this is Side 1, then it suggests Side 2 is out there somewhere — and you really hope it’s as interesting, classy, and quietly confident as this opening quintet.
RATING: 8/10
