MEDICINE (2015) — Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors

A look back at Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’ seminal album, ten years after its initial release.

In many ways, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’ Medicine represents a quintessentially “Southern” sound — blues, rock, and country, shaken and stirred. A certain Tom Petty-roots rock element permeates the entire affair, suiting the musical stylings of the group and the vocal forte of Holcomb, while Drew and the gang channel a veritable smorgasbord of other timeless artists throughout the individual tracks. Yet, despite obvious comparisons to artists that have come before, the band avoids seeming like copycats by effectively meshing even more genres, especially folk and jazz, into its core style.

The Top Tracks:

01. “American Beauty”

As an artist, I tend to approach the first song of a record or performance as a proverbial splash of cold water in the listeners’ faces — grab the audience’s attention and get their blood pumping early. As the opener of Medicine, “American Beauty” shies away from that philosophy entirely, instead, drawing in the listener with a perfectly structured, soft folk tune about a one-of-a-kind girl, and setting the tone for the rest of the record. The track has a stripped feel in the early-career vein of one of my favorite modern singers/songwriters, Amos Lee.

02. “Tightrope”

Although “Tightrope” continues the folk tradition established by the opener, the musical stakes feel raised, as the track builds slowly toward an epic “wall of sound.” An especially rhythmic acoustic guitar allows for a distinction to be made between not only this track and the other folk-based tracks on the record, but also other similar tracks at large. Though simple, the refrain, “I want to go wherever you go,” is as fine a lyrical expression of love as I’ve heard.

03. “Here We Go”

While “Here We Go” is a marked departure occurring surprisingly early in the record, it nevertheless remains my favorite track of the project. The tune is heavily influenced by jazz. It’s up-tempo, grooving, catchy, and a little reminiscent of Jack Johnson. The instrumental break, meanwhile, channels Ray Charles’s piano stylings at its onset, before switching to a country/western guitar lick more akin to a Hank Williams, Sr. tune from the late ’40s.

05. “Avalanche”

“Avalanche” returns the album’s flow to the smooth, folk, singer/songwriter vibe, and the track is elevated by the harmony vocals of Drew’s wife, Ellie, and a chorus reminiscent of the late ’60s Beatles sound.

06. “Heartbreak”

Although “Heartbreak” is ultimately sad, both lyrically and musically, it possesses a distinct, easy, Jimmy Buffett-beach feel. The bridge veers into alternative pop/rock territory and sports the wonderfully crafted inaugural lines:

Held you like a fire

And you held me just like a blanket

No one can hold a fire. If we attempt to touch a flame, we reflexively recoil. But a blanket? A blanket we clutch to warm ourselves when we’re cold. The breakdown of the relationship between the singer and his former love is captured with vivid metaphorical imagery. “Heartbreak,” indeed.

07. “You’ll Always Be My Girl”

You’re a young lad in 19th-century rural America at the town dance on Saturday night, and you ask the band (who happens to be Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors) to play the loveliest folk waltz they know so you can dance with your sweetheart. They play “You’ll Always Be My Girl.” This is one of my favorites from the entire record.

08. “Sisters Brothers”

Rounding out the Top Tracks, “Sisters Brothers” brings more jazz influence to the album. But this time, instead of the toe-tapping whimsy of “Here We Go,” this track engulfs the listener in eerie darkness. The backing vocalists sing “Sisters, brothers” like a haunting, gospel choir, while blues- and rock-infused piano and guitars arrive later in the track to cement the foreboding atmosphere. In many ways, reminiscent of a stellar track called “Prisoner” by the band’s good friends, NEEDTOBREATHE, “Sisters Brothers” sits as another of my personal favorites.

Album Rating: 4/5

A version of this review was originally published on Southern Senses, 09/14/15.

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