The Castlewood, Virginia five-piece honky-tonk band, 49 Winchester, follows-up their 2018 release The Wind with III – a ten-track set of soulful Southern rock, honky-tonk, and country. The band is Isaac Gibson (singer/songwriter, guitar), Bus Shelton (guitar), Chase Chapin (bass), Dillon Cridlin (drums, percussion) and Noah Patrick (pedal and lap steel). 49 Winchester’s III is a confident collection of songs that keeps to country music basics. To quote Gibson, “We never really set out to convey any kind of message….We never really set out to sound any particular way. I think all we ever really wanted to convey was a portrait of ourselves to every audience we meet. A bunch of broke-ass kids from central Appalachia that came from nothing with a story to tell. And the only way we know to tell that story to the world is with our songs.” Standout tracks include: the reflective opening track “Long Hard Life”; the sentimental and woebegone “Everlasting Lover”; the road-weary ballad “The Road Home;” the John Prine-esque country tune “Why Else Would I Call You?”; the tearjerker “You Never Did Love Me”; the rousing “Chemistry”; the Bakersfield sounding “It’s a Shame”; and the soulful “Hays, Kansas.” 49 Winchester’s III is a solid album that takes you on a musical journey that reaches from Appalachia to Bakersfield. There is not a bad track on the album – it’s a really enjoyable listen. – Written by JFelton
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