Maurice Hope – January 13, 2016 at 07:30AM
Tags:_AMERICANA
Self-promoted, co-produced Ron Pope (and The Nighthawks) was born and raised in the South on good old-fashioned rock’n’roll, southern rock, pop and country. Steeped in the music of Muscle Shoals and all those who have recorded there, plus the music of Macon (and beyond) acts ranging from The Allman Brothers to Wilson Pickett and the likes of Levon Helm and The Band as he grew older, his knowledge and love of original music is huge, and one that grows by the day.
Pope also has country music ties (he does after all these days split his time in between New York and Nashville) as he draws on its style of telling a story, and how emotion can carry the listener, like the waves of the ocean driftwood off to another place. Amongst the album’s strongest tracks you have the reflective calming ode “Take Me Home” to go with the likes of tender killers ballads “Hotel Room” and “Leave You Behind” and crowd-pleasers “Bad Intentions”, “Ain’t No Angel” (a flag-waving affair that fails to match “Southern Cross”; a song that has Pope speak of you were a hard, hard woman with a pilgrim soul, and how when he is low she is his true north).
“White River Junction” a small town ‘up north’ in Vermont located at the meeting of White River and the Connecticut River across the state line in New Hampshire, and though quite inconspicuous it is surrounded by a group of small towns and history to go with it enough to have someone to sing about it. Although when I spoke to Pope recently he admitted he only got as far at as a road sign directing people a few miles outside the town itself during a recent tour.
The record gets off to a flyer in “Southern Cross”; and not for the one and only time there is an anthem-like feel to the music as Pope’s lead vocals are propelled by a band possessing an abundance of riches.
Pope’s genuine love of a wide, near eclectic selection of music ensures the album doesn’t lack variation, colour and something he’s loaded with from beginning to end, energy. Sax opened, the horns near blow the lid of it “Hell Or High Water” is a perfect example, as r&b, pop and rock merge as one in majestic fashion.
Tight and strong, instrumentally, and when it comes to vocals they wrap round the lead vocals like another lining. Heart-tugging ballad, doused in little other than piano “One Shot Of Whiskey” has all the hallmarks, as does “White River Junction” of being around for a very long time. Pope and The Nighthawks have been together for around a year and though they landed on their feet running they are still a work in progress; but with the above noted strong, gritty ballads coupled with curtain closer “Goodbye” in their repertoire there is enough to suggest Pope & The Nighthawks are set to become a permanent fixture.
Fans of Eric Church and Garth Brooks plus a good few besides will be drawn to Ron Pope & The Nighthawks to follow them down a road they are unlikely to look on; such the quality of the songwriting and fantastic musicianship.
Maurice Hope
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