As was often the case in the past, Damon and Frederiksen wrote most of the songs on this new album - with Frederiksen even writing with Damon during the Wishpool sessions in which he had no studio involvement. None of the other band members contribute to the songwriting, so this album is very much Damon's baby - with Frederiksen his main collaborator, as well as contributing additional guitars and keyboards throughout. I was not hugely familiar with Brother Cane before hearing this album, although I had heard their 1993 album once previously - so I have approached this album with fresh ears and have come away impressed. Kicking off with If This Means War, the album gets off to a pretty heavy start. A barrelling metal-adjacent riff opens things up, but there is enough southern groove in the song's movement to root things in the southern rock genre. Whilst the song is pretty heavy throughout, parts of the verses see the guitars drop away somewhat - with Maxey's bass leading the charge as Damon sings. Whilst I have been familiar with Damon as a guitarist and songwriter for many years, this is my first real exposure to him as a singer. He does not have the strongest voice, be he gets the job done - and at times he reminds me a bit of Jon Bon Jovi during the 2000s due to his slightly nasal delivery. The band help out on backing vocals during the heavy chorus, which utilises that song's opening riff nicely, giving the chorus a call-and-response feel - whilst guitar leads and solos are thrown in all over the place. The album rarely feels as heavy as this opening cut again - but it kicks things off nicely even if If This Means War is less characteristic of the album than some other songs. Take a Chance is much more typical of the band's core sound, and a strong southern rock feel is captured early on with a groovy, bluesy riff over which some aching guitar leads are overlaid. The previous song had very little in terms of a keyboard presence - but Buck makes his presence felt this time. His Hammond organ is introduced early on, with the instrument rumbling away during the verses - with occasional little organ melodies popping up here and there. There is much of an organic feel here, then, with a slightly country-esque chorus introducing more of a melodic feel, with more of an organ backing, before Damon and Higbee lay down a harmony guitar solo which is pure southern rock. The song later comes to a close with a blistering instrumental section based around a faster version of the main riff - with more excellent soloing. Nothing to Lose feels a bit more up-tempo and slightly jaunty. A few power chords open things up, before a hooky guitar lead and some more organ take over. Compared to the previous two songs, this one is much poppier. Chugging guitars later create an energetic verse, with some occasional piano accents adding depth, whilst the chorus that follows has a bit of an AOR edge - with some big vocal hooks from Damon. This is one of the choruses where my Bon Jovi comparison comes from. This chorus sounds like something that could have sat on 2007's Lost Highway due to its poppy, country edge - and there is something about Damon's delivery that reminds me of Bon Jovi from that era. Clapping melodies and infectious lead guitar motifs constantly rear their heads here - and this is a brief, hooky song that is very enjoyable. The Wolf on the Mountain returns to more of a core southern rock sound - but the arrangement is much more dynamic than anything here so far. A smoky, heavy riff kicks things off, which gives the impression of a heavy song to come, but instead the piece is something of a semi-ballad - with an organic and dense overall sound. Acoustic guitars and Damon's voice are the main focus of the verses, although later verses are a bit more percussive with some drums and a denser arrangement - only for the rest of the band to explode into a lumbering chorus with heavier guitar textures and cinematic organ. This mix of acoustic verses and a heavier chorus works well - and there are later blistering guitar solos to take things further, creating a powerful piece overall.
A true ballad then comes in the form of Prince Charming. The song is Damon's tribute to Rossington - and he brought in four of his Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates to help him out. Frontman Johnny Van Zant duets with Damon throughout, guitarist Rickey Medlocke adds some slide guitar, whilst backing singers Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle fill out the arrangement. The song opens with Damon and his acoustic guitar, before Buck also starts to add some delicate piano melodies - whilst the rhythm section add a sombre groove. Medlocke's playing comes to the fore during the chorus, with his aching slide melodies adding a lot to the heartfelt song - whilst Van Zant takes over vocally for the second verse and chorus. The two ladies also start to sing during this moment, their voices adding a gospel and blues edge - whilst Buck mixes in organ with his piano. The song starts to sound really big as it moves along, with all of the different keyboard textures and the backing vocals of Chase and Michelle creating a cinematic sound. The final moments are especially powerful, when Damon and Van Zant sing together - with the final chorus in particular sounding very emotive. Blinded by the Sun was one of two songs here that was released as part of a 7" single back in 2023 - giving a taste of what was to come from the new-look Brother Cane. The song is a pretty up-tempo hard rocker and, following the two slower-burning pieces that preceded it, it feels quite powerful. The opening main riff section feels nice and groovy. Pope's drumming is upbeat, whilst some additional percussion is thrown in to help add a real southern rock groove - and the riffing feels kinetic and infectious throughout. It is not as involved as some of the songs here, but there are plenty of hooks here to make it stand out. The chorus is memorable, with some more of those Bon Jovi-esque vocals from Damon - whilst bluesy guitar soloing is often thrown in, with some fast-paced finger work from Damon and Higbee as a true southern sound is conjured up. Wish You Well slows things down again somewhat, going for a ballad-esque feel - albeit with a strong whole band approach. Buck's staccato piano playing does a lot of the heavy lifting here, with the song being one of the most keyboard-heavy here. Ringing piano melodies and occasional organ washes give the song a big sound, whilst bluesy guitar leads are often utilised between each verse and chorus. The chorus here is another memorable one, with a strummed acoustic guitar backing to create a summery feel whilst Damon sings in a slightly country-esque tone. The guitar leads from earlier are later expanded upon during a later instrumental section that features an excellent guitar solo - whilst Buck also adds some keyboard flourishes here. He does not exactly solo, but there are some interesting melodies thrown in as the song transitions back to being vocal-led. Your Cross to Bear picks up the pace again somewhat, and delivers a pretty traditional southern rock sound - with stop-start verses to emphasise the vocals and a huge rumble of organ as the song kicks off. As with all the best southern rock anthems, there is plenty of groove throughout the song. Harmony guitar leads, bringing the best out of Damon and Higbee are utilised quite often, but the main riff during the verse follows a very typical southern rock pattern - with grooves off-setting the vocals nicely with washes of Hammond. The harmony guitar lines already mentioned ensure that there is a melodic feel aside from the riffing - and a later solo section channels plenty of classic Allman Brothers Band moments with both guitarists soloing together in a country-esque manner.
Miracle opens in a more mournful manner than the previous song, and it proceeds to sound quite different to anything else on the album to this point. The main focus of the song is a simple, chugging guitar pattern - which forms the basis of the verses. Damon sings in a different manner here, with his verse delivery being somewhat semi-spoken. It sounds a bit jarring at first, but over repeated listens the choice starts to make sense - especially later verse renditions which feature a slightly bigger arrangement including subtle guitar leads and occasional piano. The chorus is sung typically, so it does feel a bit more melodic overall - especially as the rest of the band add some harmony vocals to enlarge the sound and Buck's piano takes on a more prominent role. This chorus is another that gives me Bon Jovi vibes - but perhaps more akin to one of the blander efforts on one of Bon Jovi's less good newer albums. This song is probably Magnolia Medicine's weaker link. I do not hate it, and it has grown on me somewhat, but compared to the rest of the album it feels far less interesting. Out of My Head immediately feels denser and more atmospheric, with some slow-moving clean guitar melodies and plenty of keyboards. In some ways, there are similarities between this song and the previous song insofar as they both lack a big opening riff and go for a smoother overall sound. For me, though, Out of My Head just seems to achieve this sound in a more interesting and in-keeping manner. There was little about the previous song that screamed southern rock - but there is more of a groove here, and the use of organ throughout creates a denser and more organic sound. It also just feels a bit more intense instrumentally. There is a busy and quite fast-paced guitar solo later in the track, which builds on the slight overall urgency of the chorus - which is another pretty hooky chorus overall. There is just a bit more life throughout this track, even if it is not one of the album's best cuts, and it is another that has grown on me quite a bit. The album then comes to a close with Are You in There Anymore - the other song which was released on the 7" single in 2023. Unlike most of the songs here, this one was not co-written by Frederiksen - but by Damon's former Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders bandmate Ricky Warwick. Given the sound that the two songwriters conjured up on those first three Black Star Riders albums, this song has almost certainly been hanging around since those sessions. It really feels like a long-lost Black Star Riders song with its slightly folky groove, harmony guitar soloing, and a chorus melody that has Warwick's stamp all over it. This song could have easily sat on one of those Black Star Riders albums had Warwick sung it instead - but Damon does a good job vocally, with the stronger keyboard presence helping to root the song on this album instead. Plentiful guitar leads, a folky acoustic guitar backing, and a busy Pope drum performance helps the song to stand out. It is less southern than some of the other cuts here - but its upbeat feel and easy-going chorus really works for me, with the album rounding out nicely and ending on a high as a result. Brother Cane is one of those bands that I had been aware of for a long time, largely due to having following much of Damon's later career - but it was not until now that I really bothered to check them out. This latest effort from the band is a great comeback album - and I have been enjoying it a lot over the past few weeks. Many of the songs here are memorable, and the songwriting throughout is tight whilst injecting plenty of strong southern rock feelings. I will certainly have to complete my Brother Cane collection in due course, and I can see this album getting plenty more spins over the coming months.
The album was released on 17th April 2026 via Double Dragon Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Prince Charming.
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