Red Clay Strays- Made By These Moments
Label: RCA
Producer: Dave Cobb
Trumpeted by the transformative vocals of lead singer Brandon Coleman and the marvelous Southern Rock chops of a squad of superlative musicians, Red Clay Strays have emerged as one of the most satisfying underground breakthroughs of the last year. Since the release of their self-produced 2022 debut, the band has parlayed the Tik-Tok-era viral success of single “Wondering Why” into a major-label deal with RCA Records, and now a sophomore release with the acclaimed Americana architect, Dave Cobb at the producer’s helm. Two decades ago, a major-label acquisition of an indie-roots favorite like the Strays would have had many groaning in preparation for an overproduced mainstream muck-up of what made an act so authentically appealing in the first place. However, as recent efforts by acts like The War & Treaty have demonstrated, these arrangements tend to go far better in an era where streaming and vinyl collecting are slowly but surely making terrestrial radio increasingly irrelevant. Besides, it’s difficult to imagine anyone harnessing a thunderous vocal vessel like that of Coleman’s. And under the guidance of Cobb, the sonic compass behind roots classics by the likes of Isbell, Sturgill, and Stapleton and a consortium of others, we receive the natural and organic evolution that listeners hope to hear in the follow-up to a revelatory debut like Moment of Truth. Cobb adds just enough extra precision and polish that only accentuates the beguiling electricity and gravitas at the core of the Stray’s 2020s brand of Southern Rock. Coleman officially confirms himself as one of the most powerful vocalists to emerge in the last decade, with a rapturous range that can segue on a moment’s notice. Territory covered ranges from the ominous, bluesy brooding of tracks like “Disaster”, “Drowning” and “Devil In My Ear” to the supple, soulful romance of “Wanna Be Loved”, as well as the Stapleton-meets-Gregg Allman rave up of “Ramblin'” and the hair-raising gospel tinges of “On My Knees” or “God Does”. The elasticity and emotional versatility of Coleman’s performances provide the listener with a thrilling, musical roller-coaster; at once his voice sounds magically transported from the 50s infancy of rock & roll but also like a pivotal, new voice from the future. Its vintage quality never hinders its modern vitality. The same can be said for the ensemble that forms the rest of the Strays. Recalling past glories of groups like The Allman Brothers Band–which already feels like a cliche as it relates to the Strays, but it rings true–the band plays with the same balance of primal, live energy and muscular dexterity that proves as essential to the group’s overall identity as Coleman’s pipes. The riffs from electric-guitar pair Drew Nix and Zach Rishel are worthy of elevating them to the kind of guitar-hero worship that was common-place in the classic rock era. The Strays are one of those fully-realized bands with a solidly distinct identity across the entire cast, refreshingly spitting in the face of millennium-era trends where major-label groups increasingly comprised a solo frontmen with faceless, underutilized musicians surrounding them. Like Moment of Truth before it, Made By These Moments is an unadulterated shot of musical adrenaline and authenticity. The Red Clay Strays are here to stay, and that my friends is another roots victory in the mainstream, in a year that has already been generous with such occasions.
Track Listing:
- “Disaster” (Matthew Coleman)
- “Wasting Time” (Brandon Coleman, Drew Nix)
- “Wanna Be Loved” (M. Coleman, Dakota Coleman)
- “No One Else Like Me” (B. Coleman, M. Coleman)
- “Ramblin'” (The Red Clay Strays, Dave Cobb)
- “Drowning” (Nix)
- “Devil In My Ear” (Nix)
- “I’m Still Fine” (M. Coleman)
- “On My Knees” (Strays, Cobb)
- “Moments” (B. Coleman, M. Coleman, Nix, Anderson East)
- “God Does” (Nix)
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