Formed in 2011, Robert Jon & The Wreck have made quite the name for themselves over the course of eight albums and countless tours. Red Moon Rising, the band’s ninth effort overall and their second on Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records, finds the band holed up with Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, serving up an album that runs the gamut from catchy country rock to rather more restrained ballads and, as might be anticipated from that description, the results are mixed. Well-produced, Red Moon Rising starts well, but doesn’t quite maintain its momentum, with a surfeit of ballads dominating the second half, although there remain a number of solid tracks on display.
The album opens with the smooth sailing Stone Cold Killer, which mixes country and blues with a warm Southern flavour that quietly hooks fans in. It’s a decent enough start, but it’s soon eclipsed by the excellent Trouble, which has a rock-solid beat, memorable vocal hook, and some great, gritty riffs. Equally on point is the slow burning beauty of Ballad Of A Broken Hearted Man, which lifts elements from Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Sonny Landreth – emerging as a bleached-bone ballad that really works its way under the skin over the course of five too-short minutes. Next up, Red Moon Rising has a dark pulse that’s all its own, aided no end by Andrew Espantman’s work behind the kit and driven by an excellent performance from Robert Jon. An exceptional track, it comes as no surprise that the band named the album for it and, if you were to play one song to convince the uninitiated, this would be it. The first half wraps up with the slinky riffing of Dragging Me Down, an understated piece that benefits from the Caveman paring back his usual sonic tricks to allow the natural vim and vigour of the band to shine through in the performance.
Kicking off the second half, straightforward rocker Hold On gets things moving, but the energy is not sustained and the dusky Down No More proves to be a relatively slight track, trading the intensity of Ballad Of A Broken Hearted Man for a more commercial edge that lacks the punch found on the album’s first half. Fortunately, the piano-led Help Yourself is waiting in the wings with a cracking hook and a bluesy swing – and this helps to give things a lift. However, the band opt to slow things down once more with the weary country of Worried Mind, before bringing the album proper to an end with the shuffling Give Love. It’s another piece that takes its time and, while iit builds to a powerful finale, it feels like the second side would have benefitted from a little more light amidst the shade.
In the wake of the somewhat lacklustre second half, it’s the bonus tracks that rescue the situation. First up, Rager sounds like Bonamassa’s Ballad Of John Henry as played by Wilko Johnson, and it’s good to hear the band kicking out the jams once more – this really should have been in the body of the album. Then there’s the mid-tempo country- rocker Hate To See You Go, which offers up harmonised lead work, great piano, and the sort of chorus guaranteed to get the audience singing. It’s an odd choice to have these pieces down as bonus tracks, as they are strong pieces in their own right. Nevertheless, for people tempted by this release, they’re worthy additions.
Overall, Red Moon Rising is just a touch uneven. While the first half of the album is excellent, the second half just seems to meander, with an emphasis on mid-tempo numbers. Perhaps, had these slower pieces been better distributed around the album, they would have fared better but, whatever the reason, the album’s second half drags, and is only truly rescued by the bonus tracks, which inject a touch more life into proceedings. Don’t get me wrong, Red Moon Rising is far from a bad album, but it is rather uneven, and it lacks the consistency of earlier offerings from the band. 7/10
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