William Russell Wallace’s essence is a timeless concoction that is a rare balance of vocal execution and harmonically driven rock and roll in its most raw form. With a throwback Americana style that sounds as if The Jayhawks jammed with Patti Smith, Wallace hoots, toots, and struts with a contagious abandon. Fans of new soul revival artists like Low Cut Connie and Ron Gallo will find something to adhere to on Wallace’s new album Confidence Man.
The album peels of the desperation of down-and-out reprobates and the sound of bar stools scraping the floor mid-brawl. Confidence Man‘s sharp wit, pounding country-rock riffs, and earnestness bely a man fascinated by the gutter but too inward-looking to romanticize it. To hear it from Wallace, his characters often “…think they’re a ‘man’s man’, but are really like ‘come on; love me. Please.’
Coming on the heels of his critically acclaimed album Dirty Soul, Confidence Man is set to find its place in the musical landscape through its infectious melodies and thoughtful craftsmanship. Each song gleefully shreds Americana’s more refined aspects and replaces them with punk and keen-eyed satire, giving his protagonists the tendency to shiver and shake, to fight, weep, and bleed.
Glide is premiering the ravishing “Different Savior” that purrs with silk to sandpaper urgency that is freaky twang at its finest (below).
“‘Different Savior’ is a song about desperate, unstoppable longing. There’s a lot of addiction and recovery language and imagery, as well as the religious themes (the opening line of being “such an unfortunate” is a pretty straight-ahead shout-out to the AA Big Book), but in the end, it’s a love song.
The speaker wants a different kind of higher power; he wants it to be the kind of love that can get him higher than all the other things that have left him alone and desperate. He wants salvation in the form of love. I don’t know if he’s found it yet, but he’s on his way. And even though it’s hard as hell, he wants to make it look easy.”
