Robert Jon & The Wreck's 'Ride into the Light' - Album Review

I am almost certain that the band whom I have listened to the most throughout 2023 so far is the American southern/country/blues rock band Robert Jon & The Wreck. The five piece have been around for quite a while, and released their first album in 2011, but I only started to pay attention to them this year when they announced a UK tour which included a date in the South West. I picked up a copy of 2021's Shine a Light on Me Brother to check them out, and was pretty much hooked from the off. Over the past few months, then, I have slowly amassed the band's entire catalogue (with the exception of the self-released first one, which seems to be extremely hard to find) and have enjoyed them all. There has barely been a week which has passed where at least one of the band's albums has not been played, and I have become pretty familiar with all of them in a relatively short space of time. It is always good to really devour a catalogue, and it seems that 2023 has been a good year to get into Robert Jon & The Wreck. Not only has a new studio album recently been released, but the band also released their first proper live album and concert video a few months ago. The focus here, though, is Ride into the Light, the band's eighth studio album which was released earlier this month. Robert Jon & The Wreck have always been pretty prolific looking at their releases over the years, but since signing to Joe Bonamassa's Journeyman Records recently they seem to have stepped up their activity further. As well as the aforementioned live album, the band also released the digital-only EP One of a Kind (which I reviewed here) back in March. At the time, the press releases stated that the band were going to release new material little and often throughout 2023 instead of putting out a traditional album. One of a Kind was the first batch of such new music and, true to their word, a couple of other singles followed not too long after. A couple of months ago, though, Ride into the Light was announced - an eight-track album which collects all of the band's 2023 releases into one - including One of a Kind. Despite how much I enjoy Ride into the Light, the fact that I have been living with half of it for a while has taken the shine off somewhat - and I had also heard two of the other songs online before the album dropped. I am never convinced that this 'no album' strategy that bands sometimes try to appear modern and forward-thinking in the streaming age ever quite works. Within Temptation have recently announced their latest album after having a similar strategy, and it will include songs which were released as far back as 2020! The rock and metal world still values the album as a format - so I am glad that Ride into the Light has been released, despite the slightly confused lead-up to it. It is the band's first album to feature keyboardist Jake Abernathie, although he only appears on two of the eight songs. The songs here were recorded in four sessions, with four different producers - with Abernathie featuring on the most recent recordings. The other songs were recorded when the band were between keyboard players - meaning that Doug Organ (Here Lies Man) and Jeff Babko (Crow Nuts; Band of Other Brothers) are also featured here in guest capacities.

The album's first four songs are the same which made up One of a Kind - albeit rearranged slightly. Had I known that this album was coming I would have likely skipped the EP and waited for the final product. These are the four songs which feature Organ on keyboards - with two being produced by Dave Cobb, famous for working with Rival Sons and Europe, among others, recently; and the other two being produced by Don Was, who has worked with a huge list of musicians including Elton John, Glenn Frey, and Jackson Browne. As the EP did, the album kicks off with the hard rocking Pain No More - co-written by Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke). Despite the album's short length, there is quite a lot of variety on show here, and Pain No More showcases the band's heavier side - as it kicks off with a barrelling riff, augmented by plenty of slide guitar from Henry James Schneekluth. Whilst Robert Jon Burrison fronts the band, and delivers fantastic vocal performances throughout, he often shares the spotlight with the lead guitar playing of Schneekluth. The two form a great guitar duo, with the tough riffs of the former mixing well with the fluid licks and slide bursts of the latter. Starr's influence can certainly be heard here, and the song is very Blackberry Smoke-esque - but it does feel a bit tougher overall. The riffing and focus on slide accents give the song a slightly heavier edge, whilst the prominent organ playing adds plenty of extra roar. Keyboards have always been important to Robert Jon & The Wreck's sound, and that remains the case here despite the revolving door of musicians featured. Organ and piano mix well here, with the former bulking out the strong chorus and the latter twinkling away during the slightly more laid back verses. A brief guitar solo adds some additional fire, too, and the track contains everything that is generally great about the band's harder-hitting side. Who Can You Love slows things down somewhat, and goes for more of a country rock sound overall. The Eagles are clearly a big influence on Robert Jon & The Wreck, and Who Can You Love showcases lots of Eagles-esque vocal harmonies - as well as a more organic sound overall featuring a lot of acoustic guitar, delicate guitar leads, and gentle organ flourishes. Despite the strong band presence, largely thanks to the guitar accents of Schneekluth, the song has a bit of a singer-songwriter feel, too. As well as the Eagles, there are certainly hints of artists like Browne and John Mellencamp to be found here - alongside the band's usual southern rock strut, which does rear its head somewhat during Schneekluth's excellent solo. The punchy Come at Me ups the heaviness again, treading a full-on southern rock path after a big drum barrage from Andrew Espantman. The main guitar riff is full of fire, which later forms the basis of the shout-along chorus, but the verses are somewhat more laid back, with a strong bass presence from Warren Murrel and some cutting guitar arpeggios. Despite this, though, the song still feels full of energy, and whenever the band explode into the chorus, which is packed full of organ, I can immediately see how well the track would work live.

One of a Kind follows, and the track is another harder rocking piece - but the melodies feel a bit smoother overall, with plenty of vocal harmonies bringing the chorus to life. There is less of the previous song's shout-along energy, but the track is still upbeat overall, with plenty of frantic drum fills, explosive slide guitar accents, and snappy riffs. If anything, the song is probably the one on the original EP which best represents the core sound of Robert Jon & The Wreck. The chorus has that Eagles vibe thanks to a strong reliance on vocal harmonies, whilst elsewhere there is more of a harder rock edge - with plenty of blues added by Schneekluth and his slide. The keyboards are a bit less prominent overall, though, but there is still plenty organ rumble to be found during the chorus - which gives the song its bursting-at-the-seams overall sound. Moving onto the album's 'new' material, the more expansive Bring Me Back Home Again, produced by Kevin Shirley, is a song that impressed from the off. The band's bluesy side has been explored quite a lot here, and the sound feels less southern overall - with more of an influence from the British blues rock boom mixing in with a few country and singer-songwriter moments. Schneekluth's slide work is heavily featured here, and his playing really elevates the song - whilst the depth added by subtle acoustic guitar and Abernathie's keyboards fills everything out. There are still southern rock vibes, of course, but the song's overall style feels much bluesier overall - and there is less of a strut this time, with a smooth, mid-paced groove underpinning the endless dirty slide licks. Brief acoustic-led breakdown sections add changes of pace, too, which are welcome - and Schneekluth's solo is likely the album's best thanks to his overall tone and note choices. West Coast Eyes returns to the band's love of the Eagles - but there are also shades of the country end of yacht rock here, too. It was co-written by Tom Hambridge, who was worked with artists like Buddy Guy and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and it sounds a bit different for the band, but I really like the song - and it focuses on strong melodies throughout. There is less of a focus here on explosive guitar playing and big riffing, with Burrison's plaintive vocal delivery instead driving everything. The subtle chorus is one that sticks in the brain from the off, and the track is sure to be a live favourite thanks to its poppy melodies, whilst the ever-present acoustic guitars and delicate piano movements from Babko add to that breezy, yacht rock feel which characterises the song. There is a lot to like about it and, given that the album overall is pretty hard rocking, having something more acoustic-based and poppy gives the album a different sound to explore. Schneekluth still manages to make his presence felt with a powerful solo, though, which ties the song back to the band's core sound nicely.

Don't Look Down returns to something more typical for the band, and the pace is picked up quite significantly here - and the song has quite an urgency to it with a driving drum performance and some choppy guitar rhythms which sit nicely against Babko's organ. Despite the pace of the song, the track is not overly heavy. There are tougher songs here, and Don't Look Down maintains a bit of the previous song's smoothness and mixes it nicely with a harder rock sound for a commercial, yet more organic, overall sound. The band have always written poppier songs, so it is nice to see that side of their sound getting showcased here - and it is good that they have managed to write melodic and poppy songs which still maintain a strong southern rock vibe. The song has a real strut despite the smoothness, and the mix of the aforementioned choppy riffing and Schneekluth's on-going love of slide means that the track is both poppy and familiar at the same time - and it is a song which has grown on me quite a lot since first hearing it. The album then comes to a close with its title track, which is a song with quite an old-school sound - and it certainly harks back to some of the band's older albums with some opening harmony guitar leads which recall The Allman Brothers Band. The song is a rocker, but it does not feel as tough as some of the other rockers here, with a strong focus on atmosphere throughout thanks to Abernathie's expansive keyboard playing. Despite only featuring on two songs here, he already seems to have slotted perfectly into the band's core sound - and Ride into the Light features lots of great organ playing from him, whilst the guitars of Burrison and Schneekluth constantly weave in and out of each other. There have not been a lot of twin guitar leads on the band's recent albums, so it is great to hear some here - but Schneekluth of course still throws in plenty of slide playing, with another strong solo which showcases exactly what he brings to the band. The chorus has a slightly plaintive edge despite the song's rockier vibes, but it works well to mix southern and country rock vibes together nicely - and the more expansive piece arrangement-wise is a great way to close out the album. Despite having heard most of this album before it came out, I am still very glad that Ride into the Light exists. These songs may not have been conceived as an album, given the different producers utilised throughout, but the eight songs hang well together and feature different sides of the band's varied sound. It is also great to see the band working with some big names here - and it should be noted that Bonamassa and Josh Smith produced the two songs not produced by Cobb, Was, or Shirley. Despite having been around for over a decade, things seem to really be happening for Robert Jon & The Wreck currently - and I am really looking forward to seeing them live for the first time next month.

The album was released on 4th August 2023 via Journeyman Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Bring Me Back Home Again.