Pat McGee swung for the fences on this solo album when he sought out his dream team of musicians to play the tunes, and as far-fetched as the idea might have seemed, he managed to secure members of Blues Traveler, Train, Punch Brother, and Little Feat to pitch in their talents.
Largely inspired by the sounds of the ’70s, McGee wanted to replicate those feelings, and he doesn’t waste anytime doing that with the opening guitar rock of “Bad Idea,” which brings out all the qualities of our favorite timeless, warm melodies through McGee’s memorable vision. From there, McGee throws us a pair of slower, contemplative tunes, with the lush slow rocker “Overboard” and the country influenced “Four Door Dynamo.” The breeziness continues with the soulful “Take The Long Way,” which hosts both aching strings and commanding saxophones. “Caroline” might be the only true ballad here, where soft guitars align with McGee’s deft vocal range and moody percussion to birth a moving love song.
The second half of the album is just as strong and varied, from the playful funk of “Kite Strong” to the robust classic rock and incredible guitar work of “Rhode Island” and the fiddle acrobatics of “Trial By Fire.” “Jack’s Song” closes the record with a familial-based country tune that’s both well thought out and well executed, thereby ending the album just as it begins.
It’s very apparent that McGee put in a tremendous amount of heart into this album. Each song is pieced together meticulously and radiates warmth and soulfulness. Fans of artists like Neil Young, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, and James Taylor or the genres of rock, country, folk, Americana, and bluegrass will find plenty here to embrace. At over an hour, there is a lot of material included, but McGee doesn’t waste our time with any filler.
