Tag: Heartland Rock
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Bruce Hornsby and The Range ‘Scenes From The Southside’ (1988)
Unlike many folks who identify New Years Eve as the beginning of the year, for me that process starts during Thanksgiving. It’s a day of identifying the things you’re thankful for certainly, but it’s also a moment for reflecting on the journey you took over the past year and a reminder that another year awaits…
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ‘Self-Titled’ (1976)
I’ve talked about Tom Petty a fair amount over the years on here so it probably makes sense to start off with what I shared about his career and sound during my write-up of his magnum opus Damn The Torpedoes when I wrote about that album in May of 2023: For my money Tom Petty…
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The War On Drugs ‘LIVE DRUGS’ (2020)
The War On Drugs “LIVE DRUGS” is a celebration of the live performances from a band who has brought the nostalgic beauty of heartland rock to the masses. Today we dive deep into what makes this band so incredible.
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Sam Fender ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ (2019)
I’ve been a massive fan of Sam Fender ever since I heard his sophomore album Seventeen Going Under, an auto-biographical collection of short stories masquerading as songs from his childhood. Fender has earned comparisons to my all-time GOAT Bruce Springsteen over the years due to the profound level of personalization in his music as well…
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Bruce Springsteen ‘Born To Run’ (1975)
For anyone who has had a conversation with me about music over the past 15 years can attest to, Bruce Springsteen is my favorite musician of all-time. The Boss has become the de-facto orator of American history over the past 50 years due to his prolific career longevity and his willingness to tackle subject matter…
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The War On Drugs ‘A Deeper Understanding’ (2017)
A Deeper Understanding felt like a spiritual experience the first time I heard it. Principal songwriter and lead vocalist Adam Granduciel had created a world so lush and abundant it was almost disorienting at first– melodies that bloomed and transformed before your eyes, soft and sentimental, seemingly lacking a true center. It all sounded so…
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Tom Petty ‘Full Moon Fever’ (1989)
Full Moon Fever was Tom Petty’s debut solo album after taking a hiatus from his longtime backing band The Heartbreakers, a similar career path that Bruce Springsteen took when he released Tunnel of Love in 1987 without the official backing of the E Street Band. My love for Petty has been well chronicled (you can…
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Sam Fender ‘Seventeen Going Under’ (2021)
The very first time I heard “Seventeen Going Under” I cried like a baby. There was something about Sam Fender’s voice and the musical arrangement accompanying him that moved me in that moment, a gravitas that held a meaning I didn’t quite understand but was committed to figure out. It’s the languished longing of his…
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John Mellencamp ‘Scarecrow’ (1985)
No artist in the 80’s represented heartland rock in the way that John Mellencamp did. 1982’s American Fool is his best-selling album due to its inclusion of smash hits “Jack & Diane” and “Hurts So Good”, but Mellencamp really began to find his feet as a songwriter during 1985’s Scarecrow which has always to me…
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Bruce Springsteen ‘The Rising’ (2002)
Bruce Springsteen’s music has always had this beautiful sense of unease around it, a struggle of finding meaning in mundane circumstances, and explored the difficulty of keeping the flame of hope alive in trying times. It’s what makes him my favorite artist of all-time and one of the definitive musical orators of American history during…
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Bruce Springsteen ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ (1984)
It’s a well-worn trope at this point that when “Born In The U.S.A.” comes on someone will loudly exclaim “Hey buddy ya’ know this song is actually a protest song about how politicians conveniently drape themselves in the flag but then ignore the needs of our working-class military members once they return from service.” That…
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ‘Damn The Torpedoes’ (1979)
For my money Tom Petty has and always will be the perfect encapsulation of American heartland rock. Throughout his career he showed an innate ability to combine the blues, traditional country, garage rock, British invasion, rock and roll, and folk songwriting sensibilities to create some of the finest works of art found in classic rock.…
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