Rusty Wright Band: Wonder Man Review

Make no mistake, just because Rusty Wright is a Michigan native, doesn’t mean his ability to adhere to the rich styles of southern blues falls short.  The Midwestern singer-songwriter’s level of musicianship soars.  With the release of his fifth album, Wonder Man pleads for the audience’s attention and then showcases why its worthy of their time.

The album kicks into a swinging jazz-groove layered with Delta blues undertones as a first introduction.  The pairing of these two polar opposite styles of music come together in an elegant dance of creation, one major element that delivers authenticity in Wright’s music.  Wright showcases his musical abilities to capture what makes swing jazz classic, and brings it life with hints of big band horn sections as a back drop on the canvas of his musical paintings.  He then incorporates the deeply emotional and heavy lyrics and instrumentation of southern blues rock by splattering them across the jazz back drop; a Picasso of musical arrangement.

The second half of the album lives up to the boastful introduction, but delivers a second major portion of Wright’s musicianship; songwriting.  The powerful lyrics that grace every song in the album’s second half, live up to the expectations that the style of every arrangement bring to the album’s forefront.  It is the tongue-in-cheek stabs at social media and pop-culture obsessions that adhere to Wright’s appreciation for “real” life richness.  It is this intelligent style of lyrical content about 2015’s culture that matches Wright’s appreciation for “real” styles of music; raw, natural, and completely true.

The Review: 8/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman
– Arms of Another
– Corvette Sunday
– You Know I Know
– Gonna Come a Day

The Big Hit

– Gonna Come A Day

Review by Jackie Howell

Buy the album: Amazon