WHISKEY MYERS: Tornillo (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With their eponymous album, Whiskey Myers had hit hard and the results were not long in coming with a number 1 spot on the Top Country Album chart in 2019. Behind this recognition in terms of sales, the Texans have been selling out dates and have even opened for the Rolling Stones on their North American tour "No Filter". The downside of such a success is that the pressure to release a new album is much higher. It took three years for the sextet from Palestine (Texas) to release "Tornillo", which owes its title to the Texan city, bordering Mexico, where it was recorded.

There are hints of Fort Alamo in the eponymous introduction which sees a burning sun rising on the first single of the opus entitled 'John Wayne'. A bass that rocks a groove that would break the back of an appaloosa, a gleaming harmonica as blinding as a glowing twilight, female backing vocals and a horn section that propel the whole thing with power, and fun that comes from all sides, this track is a tribute to the legend whose name it bears. Whiskey Myers' music is a kaleidoscope while remaining deeply rooted in its Southern roots, and this variety is found throughout this rich and coherent album.

Everything goes through it, from monumental tracks combining power, melody and dynamism with unstoppable guitar cavalcades ('The Wolf', 'Bad Medicine') to moving and melancholic pieces ('For The Kids' and its heartbreaking final solo), passing by lighter moments that make you want to start dancing while jumping ('Feet', 'Mission To Mars'). The talent and the authenticity transpire from each track of this "Tornillo" on which the band of friends came to graft the know-how of a formation which has been touring for fifteen years and which is from now on sure of its strengths. They are however still able to question themselves and continue to wonder about themselves ('Heavy On Me', 'Heart Of Stone') and about this world that is going crazy ('Whole World Gone Crazy'), and it is this delicate balance between doubt and confidence that makes this album even more endearing.

So hop in Whiskey Myers' pickup truck and take a trip through the southern states. "Tornillo" will be the perfect soundtrack to this journey, with landscapes that will pass before your eyes as well as between your bewitched ears. Far from being blinded or stunned by the success of their previous opus, Cody Cannon's gang has confirmed all the hopes placed in them and is firmly established on the heights of a southern rock that was only waiting for them to renew themselves while respecting ancestral traditions. - Official website

WHISKEY MYERS

TORNILLO

AUTRE LABEL

ROCK