Josh Abbott Band: The Highway Kind
It will be just over 3 years since The Josh Abbott Band has released a new album. On November 13th they will release The Highway Kind, the band’s sixth studio album. It was recorded in El Paso at the famed Sonic Ranch and produced by Marshall Altman on JAB’s own label Pretty Damn Tough Records. While making the record, Abbott and his wife relocated from Austin to Nashville for three months where he embraced the collaborative songwriting scene. Abbott dubs the new album “the first real, true band album experience” that they have recorded.
Photo by Joseph Llanes
Josh goes on further to say that “The Highway Kind is the album I wish we had put out seven years ago. The lyrics, the melodies, the subtle touches; this album is the very best effort from our group. These songs were brought to life and curated to reflect where my life is now: happy, fulfilled, blessed. From love songs to songs about friendship, from ballads to bangers, this album has it all. They’re true-life songs. I hope people listen to this record and go, ‘Man, Josh is in a really good place around now'.” And I think as you listen and enjoy this new album you will get that glimpse into his life.
The album has 10 tracks, some of which have been previously released as singles (“The Luckiest” & “Little More You”), as well as the album’s title track “The Highway Kind.”
Honestly, this is just what we have been needing all year long: an album that has many facets to it. Some which are fun, with a free and easy sound, that at times just makes you smile, roll down the windows and sing along; some facets that conjure images of love and romance, and yet others that dig deep into feelings of introspection and recognizing how life changes us all. And it should be no surprise that the Josh Abbott Band would be the ones to deliver it.
The title track to the album “The Highway Kind'' made me smile the first time I heard it. The second I heard it I felt like a dark cloud over my head was pushed aside and the sun finally came out. It truly made me smile. This song is a happy one that elicits feelings of joy and a sense of wanderlust. This is one of those songs that makes you turn it up and sing along. Now you’d think that a song about going down the highway would have a faster feel, but not here. The song has an easy and relaxed flow and is not rushed. I think that the best lines of the song are, “I’ve always been the highway kind / Movin’ at the speed of time,” and “My roadmap’s got a jagged reputation.” I just love that imagery. As for the music, the song starts with a double guitar intro with the heavy reverb and pedal steel and I love how that theme in the intro is carried throughout the entire song. It makes the song very cohesive from start to finish.
Josh and the boys highlight their playful side with “One More Two Step.” Like the name implies it’s all about the after party after the bar has closed and you just aren’t ready for the night to come to an end. And why should it? This song is fun and has a flirtatiousness about it. It has a great beat for dancing. Fiddle, bass and drums drive this song along with a great proposition, “I got a hardwood floor / We can cut a rug across / Where the drinks are free / And all its gonna cost you is / One More Two Step”
Who could say no to that?
“24-7-365” co written by Josh and Jon Pardi is, for lack of a better word, a barnburner! It is loud! It is fast! In other words, it’s fun! It is driven by some fast drumming, electric guitar, and fiddle. You are really going to want to turn this one up and let loose!
The standout track of this album is also the last track, “Old Men & Rain.” This song isn’t Josh’s usual offering. In this song Josh and the boys are writing at a level that they had only scratched before but hadn’t (until now) broken into. The song is melancholic. It brings up strong feelings and memories of loved ones who have passed. The song is sung from the perspective of a younger person who seems to understand things beyond his years, with acute observations on an older generation and how they see life in their later years and what they see as important. The instrumentation in this song is light, and that’s good because the song's strength is in the lyrics. The chorus is especially powerful in its insight.
They don’t talk about politics, bankin’ or religion / And it's better not to dwell on who is dyin’ and not livin’ / From droughts to wars, they for sure seen their share of pain / That’s why old men sit around and talk about the rain
Again, considering how 2020 has robbed many of us of many things like beloved artists, namely John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver and Jerry Jeff Walker, and has taken some of life’s simple joys, like time with friends and loved ones or going out to see live music. This new album, while it can’t make up for all of that, does help make it better and is a bright spot that many of us have needed all year. The Highway Kind will be released on November 13th. Go and get yourself a copy, pop a cold one, light a bonfire, grab someone to dance with and enjoy!
Find more about the Josh Abbott Band here:
