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 and cutting with , 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 . 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 sound brawnier here, so does lead singer , who sings from the gut in a fashion that often recalls . 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 more than a Sunday service. The rest of hums along to a neo-soul vibe that places the in 's wheelhouse, an expansion that doesn't necessarily seem like an evolution even if it broadens the band's appeal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine