Robert Rex Waller Jr. is a singer, songwriter, performer and professor living in Los Angeles, CA. For the past twenty years, Waller has been the lead singer and one of the primary songwriters of the critically acclaimed LA country rock band I See Hawks. Dave Alvin has called The Hawks one of California’s unique treasures and MOJO magazine called them “the best country rock band in the world.” The Hawks have released ten studio albums and toured the US and Europe several times. In addition to his musical career, Waller is also a professor at the University of Southern California. Now Robert Rex Waller Jr. his second solo album, produced by Carla Olson, in the stores. Waller Jr. and Carla Olson have been working together on stage and in the studio for years. Their duet ‘Bossier City’ appeared in 2010 on I See Hawks in LA’s album ‘Shoulda Been Gold’. Olson and Davis assembled an all-star cast of LA’s best Americana musicians to bring these songs to life. The musicians on this album include Waller’s Hawks cohorts Paul Lacques and Paul Marshall, as well as John York (The Byrds, Doug Sahm), Benjamin Lecourt (The Wallflowers), Skip Edwards (Dave Alvin, Dwight Yoakham), Stephen McCarthy (The Long Ryders, The Jayhawks), Mike Clinco, Matt Von Roderick and Kaitlin Wolfberg. Freddie Hart’s original pedal steel player JD Walter adds his signature sound. Harmony vocals were sung by Gia Ciambotti (Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen) and Gregg Sutton (Joe Cocker, Barry Goldberg) and by Carla Olson. Thematically, the record navigates through the sadness and pain of love and loss, but with a hopeful recognition of the healing power of music. Great cover versions such as ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ (The Walker Brothers), the beautifully reworked ‘Tougher Than The Rest’ by The Boss Bruce Springsteen and the ballad ‘Gypsy Rider’ by Gene Clark. The songs therefore have a pop and rock side on the one hand and an Americana and country side. Robert Rex Waller Jr. has once again arranged a clever, but equally surprising album. Recommended!
4.5 Star Review from Dutch Music Mag Keys and Chords
Oct 25, 2023
