Another strong (yet familiar) effort

For as long as rock has existed, there have been songs about being lone rangers, wanting to go it alone and being well traveled. Very few rock artists can actually live up to the words. But Ryan Bingham is one that does.

Bingham is a life-long Texan, but for his entire adult life, he’s been remarkably nomadic. He left high school in Houston to hitchhike all the way west to Laredo on the other side of the state. He spent time on the rodeo circuit as well. He moved to Paris to pursue a job opportunity, but once that fell through he was forced to play his guitar for tips for several months before he saved up enough money to head back to Texas. After a couple self-produced records failed to gain traction, he finally caught the attention of Marc Ford, formerly of the Black Crowes, and scored a label deal. Twelve years later, and after a lengthy break, Bingham is set to finally release his sixth studio album, American Love Song.

On first listen, the album’s overall sound is pretty similar to that of Bingham’s previous work: emotional, roots-y rock with strong country influences, a hybrid of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Marshall Tucker and even Willie Nelson. His raspy, drawling vocals, which prompted Rolling Stone to once describe him as “Steve Earle’s dad,” shine as usual.

There’s a sneaky amount of diversity within the songs, though. Those hoping for rockers will be drawn to “Nothin’ Holds Me Down” or “Got Damn Blues.” For the people who want country, there’s the piano-laden slow jam “Lover Girl” and the infectious single “Pontiac.” And for those who want everything stripped down to bare-bones folk, Bingham graciously provides “Beautiful And Kind” and “America” to chew on.

The drawback, if any, is that Bingham hasn’t done anything new genre-wise. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have to: there’s no reason to fix something if it’s not broken. Fans of his will love this release, while fans trying to dip their feet into his music for the first time will also find plenty to like. If he keeps putting out quality releases, the only place Bingham will travel to next is farther up the charts.