What happens when a troubadour with an old soul and a drummer with a hidden talent for songwriting decide to dive into a new adventure together. Longtime friends Jay Nash and Josh Day had so much fun playing together that they decided to try their hand at writing, recording and touring in a new band project called 'The Contenders'. While both of these guys have a vast catalogue of artists that inspire them their common ground can be found in the rootsy rock of the late sixties and early seventies with The Band as their main common inspiration.
You can easily hear these influences on "Meet The Contenders" which touches on the glorious melodic and down-to-earth rock of that era that is infused with influences from blues, rock & roll, folk, country and other primary music styles that flourished in the Untied States. What really struck me as a brilliant move, however, is the manner of presenting the songs on this EP. The core of the songs does all the hard work. Together with engineer extraordinaire Seth Atkins Horan they kept the bare bones of the songs and only dressed them lightly and suitably so that the strengths of the songs shine through. This way the essence of the songs, both in sound and meaning doesn't get snowed under by mixing and production and "Meet The Contenders" is better off for it.
First up is The Contender, which debuted at CMT Edge a little while ago. The gritty vocal style breathes through the endurances of the title character. "You are contender, you're the last of your kind / and the road moves on and on and on..." is an example of the almost visual quality of the lyrics that are only enriched by the charismatic arrangement and the convincing expression in the vocals. Also notice the exquisite timing of the rhythm instruments and the clever use of the electric guitar that really brings you back to the early 70s.
Maybe, Katy has the classic feel of a timeless rootsrock song. The combination of piano with the rhythm instruments causes for a song that easily sticks around in your head. It reminds me slightly of The Lost Trailers and primarily Jo Henley who pulled off the same thing on their records. The timing of the vocals is clever and show off an almost legato-style way of swinging into the next line that is incredibly effective and gives the song even more allure.
The best song on the record is probably Lincoln, 1958, which was debuted on Soundcloud a little while ago. The intriguing troubadour-style storytelling and the personal delivery of words and music makes for one of my favorite songs of the year. And be honest, a line like "Because I am your future and darling, you are mine" works for everyone, right? The rhythm of the song feels like you're out there in the free world, riding a horse, contemplating your life. The folky nature of the song suits the storytelling characteristic perfectly and combine this with the passionate delivery and excellent arrangement and you find yourself listening to an award-worthy song.
Josh Day is a drummer by trade and you can hear his influence clearly on the next track, Back In Time. The gritty country-rocker has a groovy beat and they cleverly infused a playful piano into the song. As a listener you slowly roll into this song that sounds like a modern saloon song. Gutsy and cleverly composed and presented. Long Way Down concludes this record. It's a straight up rock song that fits perfectly in the style of The Band.
There have been countless bands trying to break through with a rootsy sound based on the music of before but only few can bring it as convincingly as The Contenders. Jay Nash and Josh Day show that less sometimes really is more. Who cares about a big production or erasing the rough edges if the songs are this good. I'm absolutely ecstatic that this is a record where you actually get to hear the songs and where the rough edges are seen (and used) as a strength instead of an imperfection. It gives the songs life and the record has so much more character and energy because of it. You can't see it but I'm standing behind my desk and offer The Contenders a standing ovation. Of course I already knew Nash and Day to be excellent and professional musicians but they were still able to surprise me with the quality and expression on this new release.
As a bonus for the fans it also includes 5 live songs that you should absolutely listen to. The songs that were recorded live at SPACE are Never Take Too Long, White Wale, Sometimes, Oogly Boogly and River Prayer.
You can easily hear these influences on "Meet The Contenders" which touches on the glorious melodic and down-to-earth rock of that era that is infused with influences from blues, rock & roll, folk, country and other primary music styles that flourished in the Untied States. What really struck me as a brilliant move, however, is the manner of presenting the songs on this EP. The core of the songs does all the hard work. Together with engineer extraordinaire Seth Atkins Horan they kept the bare bones of the songs and only dressed them lightly and suitably so that the strengths of the songs shine through. This way the essence of the songs, both in sound and meaning doesn't get snowed under by mixing and production and "Meet The Contenders" is better off for it.
First up is The Contender, which debuted at CMT Edge a little while ago. The gritty vocal style breathes through the endurances of the title character. "You are contender, you're the last of your kind / and the road moves on and on and on..." is an example of the almost visual quality of the lyrics that are only enriched by the charismatic arrangement and the convincing expression in the vocals. Also notice the exquisite timing of the rhythm instruments and the clever use of the electric guitar that really brings you back to the early 70s.
Maybe, Katy has the classic feel of a timeless rootsrock song. The combination of piano with the rhythm instruments causes for a song that easily sticks around in your head. It reminds me slightly of The Lost Trailers and primarily Jo Henley who pulled off the same thing on their records. The timing of the vocals is clever and show off an almost legato-style way of swinging into the next line that is incredibly effective and gives the song even more allure.
The best song on the record is probably Lincoln, 1958, which was debuted on Soundcloud a little while ago. The intriguing troubadour-style storytelling and the personal delivery of words and music makes for one of my favorite songs of the year. And be honest, a line like "Because I am your future and darling, you are mine" works for everyone, right? The rhythm of the song feels like you're out there in the free world, riding a horse, contemplating your life. The folky nature of the song suits the storytelling characteristic perfectly and combine this with the passionate delivery and excellent arrangement and you find yourself listening to an award-worthy song.
Josh Day is a drummer by trade and you can hear his influence clearly on the next track, Back In Time. The gritty country-rocker has a groovy beat and they cleverly infused a playful piano into the song. As a listener you slowly roll into this song that sounds like a modern saloon song. Gutsy and cleverly composed and presented. Long Way Down concludes this record. It's a straight up rock song that fits perfectly in the style of The Band.
There have been countless bands trying to break through with a rootsy sound based on the music of before but only few can bring it as convincingly as The Contenders. Jay Nash and Josh Day show that less sometimes really is more. Who cares about a big production or erasing the rough edges if the songs are this good. I'm absolutely ecstatic that this is a record where you actually get to hear the songs and where the rough edges are seen (and used) as a strength instead of an imperfection. It gives the songs life and the record has so much more character and energy because of it. You can't see it but I'm standing behind my desk and offer The Contenders a standing ovation. Of course I already knew Nash and Day to be excellent and professional musicians but they were still able to surprise me with the quality and expression on this new release.
As a bonus for the fans it also includes 5 live songs that you should absolutely listen to. The songs that were recorded live at SPACE are Never Take Too Long, White Wale, Sometimes, Oogly Boogly and River Prayer.