Hunter & The Dirty Jacks: Single Barrel Review

Single Barrel is the debut album of Californian band Hunter & The Dirty Jacks. The band members include Hunter Ackerman (lead vocals/various instruments), Moana Avvenenti (vocals), Aaron Barnes (bass), Carmelo Bonaventura and Jon Siembieda (guitar), and Brian Lara (drums). Single Barrel is a high quality, polished album impressively performed by a group of skilled musicians.

Single Barrel opens with the gritty tune “Rock & Roll Soul,” which has a kicker chorus that can get trapped in the mind for potentially the entirety of the day. The refrain is repeated just enough times to etch it the head without becoming redundant—a very successful and cleverly composed piece. A few tracks further into the album, “Salt Whiskey” showcases a smoldering, soulful performance both instrumentally and vocally. The song has a rich, smoky quality to it which almost gives one a sense of indulgence when listened to. “Kennel Howl” uses creative lyricism to tell an interesting story, which makes it intriguing to hear from beginning to end; the accompaniment suits the verses perfectly, to boot.

These performers have really proven themselves with this album; it’s a bold and energetic yet sharp and clean-cut collection of songs. Solid lyrics and catchy melodies delivered by gifted artists make Single Barrel a triple threat. It will be very interesting to see what they come up with next.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Rock & Roll Soul
– Prometheus
– Salt Whiskey
– Kennel Howl

The Big Hit

– Rock & Roll Soul

Review by Amy Shull

Buy the album: iTunes