King Calaway - Rivers (Album Review)

Multinational sextet King Calaway have been making waves stateside for a few months now and the UK is the next target for the band with the official release of their debut record and a string of appearances at C2C. The UK seems to have embraced country music in the mainstream for the first time in many years but is the UK really ready for a country music boyband? RGM takes a listen.

The six musicians in King Calaway: Chris Deaton, Simon Dumas, Chad Michael Jervis, Jordan Harvey, Austin Luther, and Caleb Miller made their way to Nashville from various locations in the UK, USA and even Gibraltar (Simon Dumas) and caught the ear of the folks at BBR Records who were looking to meld One Direction with the Eagles. Frankly, this is the sort of thing that shouldn’t be attempted outside of a science lab in a comic book but luckily co-producers Robert Deaton and Ross Copperman obviously know their stuff - aided and abetted by a string of top Nashville tunesmiths. King Calaway might well be a science project but ‘Rivers’ is a record full of expertly produced, well-played tunes delivered with conviction and impeccable harmonies (check out their take on ‘Seven Bridges Road’ on YouTube for proof). It should be said that this is all a million miles from what I’d consider country music, but then I’m probably way too old to be in the King Calaway target audience so it is what it is.

Opener ‘No Matter What’ sets the scene perfectly with Jordan, Chad and Simon all handling lead vocals over a punchy pop-rock tune anchored by a solid rhythm section and driven by an insistent guitar riff with a smart solo topping things off. ‘More Than I Do’ is probably even better with the six-part vocal harmonies meshing nicely with a ringing lead guitar line that makes for a very catchy hook. The title track follows and, for me, is easily the best thing on the album as piano and a solitary vocal is joined by a syncopated guitar line and gently marching drums before the song explodes into life with an unexpected guitar crunch into the chorus. The lightly funky ‘Obvious’ follows and is strangely reminiscent of 90s acts Lit or Blessid Union Of Souls and even features a bass solo… The guys are also pretty confident with a big ballad as they prove on ‘Missing You’ which features some very nice gospel-inspired backing vocals.

King Calaway are hardly reinventing the wheel, but for fans of pop-country, there’s a lot to like about the band although the formula does start to wear a little thin during the albums mid-section, luckily the good is very good and makes up for any of my perceived shortcomings about the material. ‘Grow Old’ finds the band at their most acoustic/country but doesn’t really work for me although I’m warming to the grandiose vocals on the chorus while ‘I Do’ is a total Take That / Westlife moment, nicely done I guess but not for me. Those anthemic vocal lines return on ‘Picture Of The Way You Are’ which is much better and should be fantastic live while the vocals are again terrific on the gentle lilt of ‘World For Two’. A bouncy cover of Steve Stills’ ‘Love The One You’re With’ isn’t really required to be honest. I’d play it live as an encore (nice guitar solo) but I wouldn’t have recorded it. The album concludes with the Logan Turner penned ‘I Did’ a huge piano ballad that again showcases King Calaway's vocal talent.

I’m sure King Calaway are already a fixture on country radio over the pond and with the right push could well make waves in the UK as their sound seems tailor-made for Radio 2.