Chuck Leah – Road To Medicine Bow (EP Review)

Chuck Leah describes himself as an artists with a rough-hewn but honeyed voice, accompanied with an honest pen. He was raised in South Texas, and for decades, mined his own interpretations of American roots music to imbue intimate, mundane moments with the grandeur the lives involved deserve. It is truly, moving work..

In his care, road trips have become musicological catalogs and journeys of self-discovery, while characters have danced in and out of view, helping us to better understand ourselves. In his latest release, titled ‘Road to Medicine Bow’, he captures the colors and textures of the Wild West. This record was recorded at a couple of legendary studios, including Blackbird Studio A, East West Studio 2, and Sunset Sound Studio 1. The album, produced by Chuck Leah, Jeff Victor, Greg Scelsa and Brian Vibberts, embraces the entire production team and Chuck’s top-shelf band.

The album soaks you in the moment you listen to it with its exemplary mastering and vibe, making you think of a more elaborate and lush version of what truly sounds the Wild Wild West, with an eery capability to encapsulate more depth and dark emotion. It is just as musically compelling as it is compelling within the storyline of the stories told within this release, and Chuck Leah’s voice serves as the cherry on top- being worn down enough to contain a vast array of emotion, mixed with enough melodicism to serve as a musical vessel. It’s truly beautiful.

The introductory track, ‘Road to Medicine Bow’, comes off as more tribal and confrontational, drawing you in with mystique. The second track, ‘Homa Hills’, completely deviates from that and adopts an approach that’s a bit more earnest and heartfelt, with an acoustic soundscape that’s a bit more mellow but contemplative at the same time. Sweet strings grace the phrases of music as Chuck’s voice is tastefully layered upon the already complex mix of instrumentation, giving it the character that an old scroll would have compared to a new piece of paper.

1018 (See Me) then takes you into a more sonically contemplative soundscape through its chord changes and the sound design of the instruments in the background. It’s very emotional, frankly, and I think it can resonate with a lot of people, even if they don’t typically listen to the genre. The song builds up to a grand sequence at the end, that can only be appreciated when its felt with the multitudes of voices echoing each other and the wonderfully bold instrumentation. ‘Broke Foot Blues’ takes on a more quirky, Blues-ish approach, but its instrumentation fits the whole theme of the album.

Generally, I’d say all of the songs within this release do follow a strict adherence to the themes and the way related genres can enhance the mode of its conception. It can almost serve as the framework to a TV show or a movie, because of how harmonious and well-mastered it really is. This definitely shines within the track I just mentioned, as the blend of voices within the song (especially the woman’s voice!) adds a lot of character to the track. It almost reminds me of the some of the songs of the soundtrack to the movie ‘Princess and the Frog’.

‘Matter of Time’ then amends its mode with a bit more of a soulful approach through the keys and the use of church organs. It’s emotional and also very compelling to listen to, due to the true honesty within the lyrical content of the song. Chuck Leah is an artist that definitely does not come off as fake, at all. I can feel every inch of intent within each of these tracks. ‘I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye’ which comes afterwards kind of mixes the motifs of all previous tracks, this time with a bit more of an anthemic feel without sacrificing the country base that makes up the instrumentation of the album. It definitely is a song that most people can sing along to, with a bit of an early 90s feel through the use of the electric guitars.

The album then closes off with the track ‘My Beat Up Truck’, a solemn but heartwarming track. This song is truly homely, making me feel whole as I listen to it. The use of accordion is also very interesting, in the midst of the acoustic instrumentation and the strings.

All in all, I’d say this album is extremely authentic and very well done. Everything is mastered so well that I feel like I’m part of the journey of the track listing of the album itself. The voices, the arrangement and the lyrical matter are all up to par, in its own unique way. This album feels like a time capsule in its own way as well, giving it more of a charm.

SCORE / Excellent – ‘Road to Medicine Bow’ is a wonderful album that honours the musical traditions of Americana with honest, heartfelt songwriting and production. It’s an album that will have you feeling transported to a different world, absolutely encapsulated in the instrumentation and the timbre of the work itself.

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You can catch up with Chuck Leah on Facebook, Instagram or check out his Official Website!