As the new year takes shape, so does the new era of under-the-radar roots and Americana music.
Fitting the bill and releasing this past Friday February 6th is the debut album by Tommy G and The Experts’, A Road to Somewhere, which features ten authentic and nostalgic tracks. The Minneapolis-based band continues to churn out new music less than a year after releasing their first official EP, Taking Back the Past.
Marking a defining moment for the band, A Road to Somewhere brings life’s bigger picture into focus, and unfolds in a narrative-driven format with its rooted Americana influences. “Hello, my friends its been a while,” is how Tom Gebell aka Tommy G opens up the album on the first song and title track, “A Road to Somewhere.”
This upbeat jam allows the listeners to hear and feel the forward momentum that we all crave as adulthood continues, and for some, begins. These lyrics are his confession, telling listeners, “I’m back, and I am ready to conquer whatever life has in store.” As the story unfolds, stringed roots instruments propel the gritty electric guitar-driven track, with an uppity fiddle and accentuating steel guitar, all rooted in with the bass which ties together to kickoff the album in positive boot scootin’ fashion. The song seems to reflect a message of accepting life for what it is, the highs and the lows, the good and the bad.
Following this opener, we have “Monkey Bars.” The drums and cymbals commence this next one, fixed on the setbacks that come with moving on, shedding the unnecessary baggage in life as aging continues. The band uses monkey bars as a metaphor for the various stages of life, familiar to the last song; these two definitely have a strong connection in Tommy G’s lyricism.
A personal favorite found further down the list of songs is “Enough,” a song centered on living in the past, feeling a lack of control, and staying true to one’s values. Unlike the other two tracks, this one has a melancholic prosody to it, allowing the piano to advertise its softness in sound. This major contrast highlights the real emotion around pride and not being able to admit when you’re wrong.
Wrapping up the album is “Broken Man,” a song that is sung to the listener with raw vocals, echoing this internal fight to move forward. Similar to “Enough,” it’s one of those songs on the album that grants the audience a look into the mind of this band and the troublesome yet relatable effects that come with growing physically and emotionally.
Collectively, A Road to Somewhere is a heartfelt album that blends traditional country and roots sounds with original storytelling, proving to listeners that Tommy G and The Experts are a band with depth, regardless of whatever path they choose to follow.
