Written
by Laura Dodero, posted by blog admin
Breaking
away from the cut n’ dry band aesthetic, New Jersey
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Michael Askin (once a member of the
bands Divine Sign and My State of Attraction) has dived headlong into a solo
career with 2 EPs to his namesake already available to the public. 2013’s Single
Step introduced Askin’s folk-y, blues smothered country rock to the masses
while 2015’s Ignore the Evidence
cemented his keen ear for his chosen style.
His third and latest release Road by the River takes the next logical
step with his sound by compacting the songwriting into tighter, gruffer jams
that balance melody with an occasional bruising, blues-centered rock n’ roll
wallop.
The
title track gets this eclectic EP started off proper. Punchy percussion, double-tracked acoustic
guitar jangle, smooth vocal melodies, Earth-toned lyrics painting a picture of
rustic America and ambient electric riffs congeal into a number that’s more
pure country than anything that the radio’s been playing for the last
decade. Subtle vocal harmonies and the
lush, organic nature of the music is an absolute jewel to behold. “Nashville” the song sounds like it’s
straight out of the USA’s country music capital city. Electric riffs with a wealth of slide, pocket
beat shuffles and a searing, mid-tempo rock n’ roll swagger meld some brimstone
wielding dynamics to the contemplative country mule kick.
After
an elegant acoustic guitar riff sets things up, an increasingly harrowing,
electric-charged blues rock thrust invigorates the brooding, growly jamming
heard on “Sun’s Going Down.” Organ runs
straight out of the late 60s/early 70s (think some of Savoy Brown’s work)
permeate the atmosphere with American Gothic manna while intricate
acoustic/electric bedding covers a sturdy, 4/4 rhythmic canvas. Running a similar ramshackle road but placing
the glorious acoustic malice a click over the scraggly electric riffs, “Hard to
Make a Living” tells the woes of making it as a musician on the dingy club
circuit. Askin’s lyrics paint a very
visual scene that should ring true for anyone’s that ever stroke out with their
music all on their lonesome. Musically,
each passing moment adds heavier, bluesy shades thanks to dirty guitar riffs
and a deeply penetrating, soulful organ drone.
Rounding out this short yet fully effective release, “Last Train” blows
in on a breezy acoustic guitar lick that swiftly coils its melodies around Askin’s
downplayed, crooning lead vocal. Wailing
synthesizers help the song build-up to a peak of psychedelic majesty as the
track and EP itself come to a close and the result is nothing short of magical;
another composition that takes Michael’s established sound and again tweaks the
formula into something different from the norm.
The
five self-penned tunes on Road by the
River are all killer no filler.
Askin’s poignant lyrics and vocals are a consistent
highlight throughout and his mastery of various instruments from acoustic to
electric give the EP a very dense, deliberate attack with each of songs piling
on more layers as they go along. Fans of
country, blues, folk and rock should all find something to love on Road by the River.
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