Rocky Roberts and Friends sticks to their signature American sound with their latest release. The former touring guitar tech for the likes of Neil Young and Patti Smith, Rocky Roberts’ latest release is the “Pieces of Time” EP. This 4-track EP tells emotional tales backed by his Americana aesthetics that hook you quick and pull you into their stories with a charm that’s undeniable. It starts from the top, with “Buck Moon.”
The smooth instrumentals create a fantastic stage for the bluesy vocals of Rocky Roberts and Norah Jones. The bass creates a fantastic musical sway that’s easy to softly move your body to. The stringy, crying guitars gives the instrumentals a great way to show off the tracks’ emotional power, especially when combined with the beautiful piano. The piano solo in the middle of the track really sells their power and is a delight to hear. The warm, welcoming atmosphere that “Buck Moon” creates is powerful, leaving a smile on your face with each solo and each chorus.
“Wild Riders” is next, with ramblin’ guitars that hit right from the top cradled by the deep bass and that makes no qualms with its Americana feel. This makes it easy to settle into after “Buck Moon,” especially with the serenity and emotion of the fiddle added in. The stringy, deep guitar solo around the 1:30 mark dances with the fiddle in the beginning in a heavenly way, which emphasizes the feeling of longing in the lyrics. Especially on repeat listens, lines such as “now you’re gone, we’ll sing this song, to show you we remember” hit hard with palpable depth when it all comes together. It makes “Wild Riders” an emotional experience you won’t want to miss.
“Party Line” is the track that follows. The 3-note bass intro climbs into a jovial string-fueled melody, with the vocals of Rocky Roberts and mandolin player Joey Wright rising to the occasion. The instrumentals are heavenly, with a free-wheeling feel that harmonizes around the fiddle and bass to create an upbeat yet contemplative beat that’s easy to find yourself moving to. Lines such as “Won’t you stay in my world, with the memory of your Ma? If you leave with that rounder, I swear I’ll send the law!” And the emotional story that accompanies them gives “Party Line” a depth that’s easy to get attached to, even if the change in mood is a tad jarring from “Wild Riders”.
“Tomales Bay” is the final track and comes with a personality all its own. The tropical aesthetic hits right from the stop, without sacrificing the cradling bass and the stringy guitars. The bass shows its groovy side in this track as it dances with the tropical percussions to the sounds of the squeeze box, with sunny vocals that hit bright highs. “Tomales Bay” lets the EP end on a high note and feels good to wrap up to the line “I like the good life, Lord, out on Tomales Bay.”
“Pieces of Time” is an emotionally-charged Americana tour-de-force. From start to finish, the EP sucks you in with addictive and eclectic instrumentals that always work excellently with the vocals of Rocky Roberts and his friends. While the transition from the emotional side of the EP into “Party Line” and “Tomales Bay” may seem jarring at first, this quality diminishes on repeat listens as the emotional themes pull each track together. Whether you listen to “Pieces of Time” in order, or your favorite tracks find themselves onto your playlist, Americana fans will not want to miss this entrancing EP.
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