Review: Preacher Stone – ‘V’

NoNo Bad Dog Productions (March 29^th 2024)

Reviewer: Chris O’Connor

I absolutely love Southern Rock, it’s been a genre I’ve been into forever, having literally hundreds of albums of said music in my collection, and I’m always on the lookout for new ones. I am very happy to be able to report, that this fifth studio outing from Preacher Stone, is in fact an absolute gem! Fifteen years into their career, this wonderful band has been building a terrific reputation, and I’ve long felt they are destined to become legends of the genre.

Hailing out of Landis, North Carolina, the band had been until very recently a sextet, but with the tragic very recent passing of their keyboard wizard Johnny “D” Webb, they are now a quintet: Ronnie Riddle (vocals, harmonica, mandolin, guitars), Marty Hill (guitars. Dobro), Ben Robinson (guitars), Jim Bolt III (bass guitars), and Yoshi Wyatt (drums/ percussion). What Johnny’s passing means for the boys? Only they will decide in time to come, I hope they will keep going, as I’m certain that’s what the big man would have wanted for his musical brothers.

‘V’ is an absolute bruiser of an album, swaggering and belligerent, powered by vintage Sourmash and bad attitude, it bristles with intent, yet balances power with glorious melodies, and is everything that is good and great about the wonderful ‘Suvvern Rawk’ genre. If you imagine Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Doc Holliday, .38 Special etc at their incendiary best – and you love that brilliant style of music? Then you will quite rightly adore these Southern Sons.

‘V’ is an album that demands repeated listens. I can honestly say I’ve been pretty much playing it to death for days now, I have truly fallen in love with it. There are so few albums that are flawless, but this is truly one of them. It is already going to be in my top two albums of the year, vying with fellow southern heroes Sons Of Liberty for the crown. Any band that can pen lyrics “I tried to drown my troubles – but the bastards learned to swim” (‘Horse To Water’) are absolutely talking my language, and I love them for it.

From the opening barres of ‘Hard Life Phd’, this is nigh on completely perfect. One song that simply cries out for special notice is ‘Till We Meet Again’, surely written in memory of Johnny, it is both poignant yet is also a powerful Southern Rock anthem, in the very best tradition of the genre. It begins in reflective style, before building to a galloping crescendo, then fading back to an equally subtle denouement – and is quite simply sublime. This is what separates great bands from the merely good, and Preacher Stone IS a great band!

The endlessly duelling (and often slide) guitars of Marty and Ben are a joy to hear, this is what Southern Rock is all about … remember Medlocke/Hargrett, Hlubeck/Roland, Carlisi/Barnes, Thomasson/Jones etc? Then know that the Hill/Robinson pairing is cut from that very same ripped and faded cloth, and works to perfection. Singer Ronnie has a fabulous voice, whiskey worn, but with soul and grit, and always delivered with passionate intensity, he truly has star quality. The rhythm section of Bolt/Wyatt is thunderous and groovily precise, driving the band with real force.

Thundering out of the starting blocks, the band instant locks into a rockin’ groove with the anthemic ‘Hard Life Phd’, this is serious statement of intent, with a hard as nails riff and a killer chorus. ‘My My My’ reminds me of Raging Slab at their coolest, with its hip shakin’ riff, lazy groove, and LOUD geetars. ‘Ain’t As Easy As It Looks’ rocks like a bastard! It’s a powerhouse number with a foot-stampin’ groove, which grabs you by the throat, and simply refuses to let go. The aforementioned ‘Till We Meet Again’ follows, and this is as good as Southern Rock gets, being both beautifully nuanced musically, and lyrically eloquently wonderful. The first “half” of the album closes with the other song already mentioned, the excellent ‘Horse To Water’, and again the band is in simply imperious form.

‘Damage Is Done’ is another mid-paced groovy little thing, it’s almost into .38 Special at their most commercial territory, being a definite ‘earworm’ of a song. ‘Rise Up’ is an atmospherically sullen, purebred beast Southern Rock epic, and is arguably the ‘best song The Outlaws never recorded – and that is intended as a HUGE compliment. ‘Dance With The Devil’ has a down and dirty bass line, and a stuttering riff, it could almost be described as a “stripper song” – it has that bump ‘n’ grind thing going on. ‘Rain Or Shine’ is an up-tempo, breezy thing, perfect for cruising in an open-top car on a summer day. Finally, album coda ‘Home’ brings to mind acoustic Alice In Chains strangely enough. It’s a lazy, dusty, drifter of a song, and ends the album in almost contemplative style – it really is the perfect way to end this most remarkable album.

‘V’ is celebration of an album that in the end was borne out of adversity. Johnny’s untimely passing, happening as the band take a major step into the ‘big leagues’ is all the most tragic. His musical brothers now have to dig deep and forge forward, honouring his memory as they now begin touring in support of this milestone release. The North Carolina band of brothers will be touring the UK in July this year, fittingly enough, with the very wonderful Sons Of Liberty, which promises to be one of the best pairings in many a long year. Congratulations to Preacher Stone – ‘V’ is a superb body of work, and I cannot wait to see where you go next! Hell Yeah!

Tracklist:

Hard Life PhD

My, My, My

Ain’t As Easy As It Looks

Till We Meet Again

Horse To Water

Damage Is Done

Rise Up

Dance With The Devil

Rain Or Shine

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