Class is not a word you hear often when speaking of an artist’s music but Thomas Wade’s new album Blue Country Soul is classy, smooth and intoxicating.
I will say I was not a huge fan of his previous band Wayward.
Although the hits were numerous in a short span (1996 to 1999) the songs here have much more soul, heart and integrity.
From the gentle opening Funny What Makes You Cry, the Bakersfield vibe of Lock the Door, and the superb and righteous 60’s soul/pop of That’s What Love looks Like, Wade and his excellent band of Steve O’Connor, John Dymond and Gary Craig rule with dynamics and feel.
Wade and the band rock it up on A Lot to Unlearn and deliver big in a jazzy/blues take (check out Wade’s guitar solo) on the classic country gem Am I That Easy To Forget.
As a bonus this album is superbly engineered in an almost vinyl type of way.
JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, Sun/Post media Contributor and singer-songwriter with Canadian Blues Rockers THE SHAFTMEN
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/the-worlds-gone-crazy/id673101570
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