drew holcomb dragons

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors from the album Dragons on Magnolia Music (by Brian Rock)
In an age of 24-hour negative media saturation, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors stand out like a light house on a storm lashed shore. Buoyed by optimistic lyrics of hope and community, they sing songs of friends and family, love and loss; and they remind us of what’s really important in life. “Family” is a prime example. Beginning with thunderous drum beats and hand claps, the song exudes joy even before Drew sings, ‘Family, all in this together. Family, we’re taking a chance. Family, like birds of a feather. Family, take off you shores and dance’. The Jimmy-Buffett-Volcano-era guitar riffs add to the celebratory feel as the band sings the praises of family – both literally and collectively.
Moving from the general to the specific, Drew and company sing a tender ballad of spousal bliss in “But I’ll Never Forget the Way You Make Me Feel”. With piano as the lead instrument, The Neighbors stack banjo, organ, stand-up bass, and steel guitar like the layers of a wedding cake to create a delicious musical confection. Of course, after marriage come children. “See the World” is a tender lullaby from loving parent to sleepy child. Singing, ‘I can’t wait to watch you see the world with your own eyes’, Drew Holcomb celebrates the mystic bond between parent and child where the parent feels twice the pain of each scraped knee and twice the joy of every first step. The family theme continues with the title track when “Dragons” finds a departed grandpa appearing in a dream, sharing the advice: ‘take a few chances, a few worthy romances. Go swimming in the ocean on New Year’s Day. Don’t listen to critics, stand up and bear witness. Go slay all the dragons that stand in your way’. Beginning with a lone, acoustic guitar, the song bursts into a Country Gospel arrangement for the chorus.
It is that ability to create textured arrangements that makes Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors stand out from so many other Folk and Singer/Songwriter artists in Americana today. Drew and company elevate the musical component of their genre from the monochromatic tones of acoustic guitar to the kaleidoscopic patterns of steel guitar, organ, banjo, piano, electric guitar, stand-up bass, and wall of sound vocal choruses. The net effect is like James Taylor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Even when Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors deal with more somber subjects on “Bittersweet”, “You Never Leave My Heart”, and “Maybe”, they still tell their stories with insightful lyrics and compelling music and an always underlying sense of hope. In “End of the World”, for instance, Drew sings ‘don’t eulogize on my behalf, I’m a long way from my epitaph. I’m only getting started on this lost highway. I am brave and I am not afraid’. We could all use some of that confidence and optimism as we face the dragons in our lives.   (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors from Amazon
 
https://www.drewholcomb.com/

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