The Red Clay Strays
built their audience the old-fashioned way: with relentless touring, taking advantage of the moment when their single "Wondering Why" went viral long after its initial 2022 release. With the wind at their backs, they leapt from independents and into the major leagues, signing with
RCA Records
and cutting
Made by These Moments
with
Dave Cobb
, the gold-standard producer in American roots music.
does feel like a step forward for the Alabama band. It's bigger, bolder, and louder, a shift that's apparent from the moment "Disaster" and "Wasting Time" kick off the record with waves of burly guitar, a sound that's much earthier than their 2022 debut
Moment of Truth
. Much of the album follows suit, with the plaintive ballad "Wanna Be Loved" underpinned by the same muscular guitars that propel the boogie of "Ramblin'." If the
Red Clay Strays
sound brawnier here, so does lead singer
Brandon Coleman
, who sings from the gut in a fashion that often recalls
Chris Stapleton
. Things shift a bit toward the end with the stomping neo-gospel of "On My Knees," a bit of testifying that recalls the bluster of
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
more than a Sunday service. The rest of
hums along to a neo-soul vibe that places the
in
Rateliff
's wheelhouse, an expansion that doesn't necessarily seem like an evolution even if it broadens the band's appeal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine