David Wilson and the Summer Husbands - The Only Reward
What a great, great EP. The Only Reward is a four song release by David Wilson and the Summer Husbands which brings to mind an open road, under a silver-cloudy blue sky, among sprawling scenic pastures. To be forthright, that’s before I even glared at the album cover’s coincidental theme. Some music just paints a mental canvas so well. Standing out among this excellent songwriting is the interplay fine musicians create when playing for the songs, not for thy self. While band leader David Wilson takes on all guitars, keyboards and vocals with his amusingly demure poetry, it’s his bandmates that nurture the foundation he’s strolling along with. They add just the right amount of jazzy pizazz giving each listen an extra perk to the ears. Smart, intuitive vocals (see title track “The Only Reward”), sliding steel strings (“Come Home”) these are timeless songs as if we’ve known them for ages, yet they haven’t even spent much time in the ether yet! Lock & key bass and drums by Ed Roessler and Paul Sherrard underlay the secret weapon—saxophonist Ryan Anselmi. I repeat, that sax is such a treat throughout—it sets this small body of work a step to the side from genre-based familial sounds this falls in with. This is easily a folk rock EP, an Americana sound with a serious adult contemporary vibe. The blend of it all is such a good cup of coffee at that old-fashioned diner on a long stretch of road as the late afternoon gives way to mesmerized eyes of travel.
-Artica