[rating=8.00]
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors release of Medicine may mark their biggest success yet. Holcomb’s ninth album is from Magnolia Records, and it is a slight change-up from the 2013 release Good Light, slowing the tempo on a majority of the tracks. Not to mention, wife Ellie Holcomb has begun a solo career as a contemporary Christian artist, so her voice is absent from most of the album. The fans who love the husband-wife sound will not be disappointed though; Ellie adds harmony in a few tracks.
Medicine refrains from losing the band’s original sound and lyrical composition. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors maintain the folk base with a rock backbone and that Tennessee twang is ever-present. “American Beauty” kicks off the album with some slow guitar-plucking, as Medicine’s first single may already be recognized by listeners since it appears in a recent commercial by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The second track, “Tightrope,” describes life’s difficulties: “I feel like an old soul / I feel like a sinking ship. / I can’t get no sleep / can’t just let it be / like I’m walking on a tightrope.” As Holcomb describes how being with his woman will outweigh the hardships of life, wife Ellie strategically joins him in the ending chorus. The band follows with “Here We Go,” a lyrically-quick tune with some blues roots.
“Shine Like Lightning” continues the theme of life’s struggles by informing the listener, “Even when the rain pours down / even when the light seems like it’s fading / even when your heart aches, feels likes it going to break / that’s when you sing out loud.” The next track, “Avalanche,” is the album’s first love song to life Ellie, and she again appropriately joins Drew for the chorus.
“Heartbreak” and “You’ll Always Be My Girl” both discuss the good and bad parts of love in an uplifting tone. The band transitions with a new sound on “Sisters Brothers,” a track which much resembles the sound of “Prisoner” by former tour-mate NEEDTOBREATHE (clearly an inspiration for Drew and company). The album’s eighth song allows guitarist Nathan Dugger to maximize his abilities with an appropriate guitar solo to help conclude the song.
The opening notes of the keyboard in “Last Thing We Do” are like a curveball before adding the guitar riffs and power percussion one can expect from Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. The lyrics of the tenth track “Ain’t Nobody Got It Easy” continue the major theme of the album and have tones of “Another Man’s Shoes” from Good Light. “I’ve Got You” opens with whistling, which is a first by Holcomb. Ellie returns for the final time on Medicine, joining Drew for the entire track. The album finishes with “When It’s All Said and Done,” the second-longest track of the album. The Tennessee roots come out in full force, and Drew Holcomb completes a narrative full of struggle with love being the reason for the ability to overcome.
