CD Review by Danielle Boise
Billy Roberts and the Rough Riders released The Last of the Originals earlier this year, with a new album set to drop later this summer. The Last of the Originals takes country rockabilly with New Orleans flair and splices it with a bit of gritty blues filled rock at times. With nearly thirty minutes, the nine-track record has Robert’s patine don’t give a shit attitude stamped all over the LP. Very much in the vein of hey, I’m going to do my own thing. Take it or leave, but I don’t care one way or another. With a big F.U. to the world vibe clearly sparked as the thesis statement hand-stamped across each song on The Last of the Originals.
The Last of the Originals, elementally has all the pieces for a great album, a tightly produced LP made at Cumberland Studios in Nashville, Tenn., by Billy Anderson. The album has strong percussions and rhythm section, with impactful lyrics with catchy hooks. But there is something that falls flat on the first listen. Something that doesn’t quite add up to what you want it to be. Which in itself is can be a pleasant twist to have an album go in an unexpected way. The great thing about The Last of the Originals is that the further the listener delves into it, the more it reveals itself to the listener and not only fully forms, but solidifies into a decent album by the time you get to “With You.” It’s at this point in the album that the listener can really appreciate the music and what Robert’s is really trying to express through his soundscape.
There is something raw, honest and completely relevant about what Billy Roberts and the Rough Riders has created with The Last of the Original. For me the pinnacle of the album is “I Was Young,” an old-school country tune about the journey to find home.