Many
potential listeners for The Cavalry’s debut Build Your Own Empire will be
mislead by preconceptions of the Nashville rock genre being inherently
disposable, but the five songs on this first release and accompanying
performances are quite capable of dispelling any such cynicism. The Cavalry has
great rousing musical energy and a surplus of melody, but Tristan Jackson’s
vocals are among the deepest feeling in the genre and refrain from taking any
short cuts towards satisfying the listener. Instead, the songs touch on
experiences virtually all listeners can share while still speaking from a very
personal place. Tristan Jackson throws himself wholeheartedly into this
material and never backs down once from investing it with all of the energy and
passion that it deserves. It benefits, lastly, from exceptional production that
renders everything in vivid color and hits a great balance between the competing
sounds.
The
strengths of that production are evident on the first song. “JFK Intro” sets a
strong and eloquent tone for the remainder of the album without ever sounding
out of place despite its decidedly different musical slant from the EP’s
remaining four songs. It never goes on too long either and, as a result,
doesn’t throw the album off balance. “Don’t Mean You’re Gone” has some
predictable lyrical and musical turns for the genre, but The Cavalry are adept
at pouring old wine into new bottles and the genuine verve that Jackson and his
cohorts bring to this performance redeems any familiarity. The predictable path
that the track takes is doubly smooth thanks to how well both vocalist and
players execute its changes. Kristie Lane guests on the ballad “Wake Up Call”
but, rather than dueting with Jackson, she provides beautiful and impassioned
counterpoint to the primary vocal. There’s a melodic density to the song that
makes it one of Build Your Own Empire’s most unusual and lasting achievements.
One
of the EP’s best moments comes with “When the Radio’s Gone”, a deceptively
simple bit of songwriting that, after repeated listens, reveals a wealth of
undercurrents sure to please a wide audience. It is clearly the song most
clearly aimed for commercial success and a number of factors make this
possible. The strongest of these qualities, however, is the subtle uptick in
tempo that comes with the chorus and its rousing effect on the song is
impossible to ignore. The last song “Red, White, & Blue Jeans” hits on some
common, universal imagery that hits immediately hits home with the audience
embedded into a strident and strongly arranged Nashville Rock track. It ends
Build Your Own Empire with a big number that emphasizes The Cavalry’s ambitions
with this release. Tristan Jackson obviously intends on making the deepest
possible impact with this release and the quality enables him to succeed. The
EP’s five songs have a variety of moods and aren’t ever just simple-minded and
straight forward pop country songs – instead, the personal and universal meet
here with memorable and often combustible results.
9
out of 10 stars
Charles
Hatton
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