Review: Robert Jon & The Wreck – Wreckage Vol. 2

KTBA Records (september 30th, 2022)

Reviewer: Dan Mann

I wasn’t aware of Robert Jon & The Wreck‘s music until I got sent the promo for ‘Good Life Pie‘ back in 2016. After being four years late to the party as it were, I’ve kept a firm eye on the band’s musical output since.

‘Wreckage Vol. 2‘ is the latest release, a collection of ten tracks recorded either exclusively in-studio or live in concert. Released on Joe Bonamassa‘s KTBA Records (Keeping The Blues Alive) the album covers the whole gambit of the band’s music. From the opener, that’s a firm favorite of mine, ‘She’s A Fighter‘ (recorded live at Ancienne, Belgium) to the slow, melancholy ‘Dark Roses‘ (recorded at Sunset Sound), the upbeat Hammond organ led ‘Something To Remember Me By‘ (Live from DJE Livestream Studio) to the absolutly superb version of ‘Cannonball‘ (live from Sunset Sound).

What ‘Wreckage Vol. 2‘ does, and does perfectly, is showcase Robert Jon & The Wreck‘s live performances. Well of course it does I hear you cry, it’s a ‘live’ album. To clarify, Robert Jon & The Wreck is one of those bands who when seen performing live are just on another level compared with the studio albums. Those album tracks just take on another life, it’s as though they’ve been given more air to breath, a chance to grow!

Robert Jon & The Wreck have certainly been warmly welcomed by the British music scene, having to increase venue size on their last return, and it’s hardly suprising with the live performances they deliver.

If you have their studio albums already, then I would of course recommend you add ‘Wreckage Vol. 2‘ to your collection. If Robert Jon & The Wreck are a band that are new to you then ‘Wreckage Vol. 2‘ is in my opinion the perfect introduction to a band that’s firmly on the rise!