Ryan Bingham - Fear And Saturday Night FLAC download

For the most part, on the first listen, one could easily describe most of this album as stripped down, weatherbeaten and very sparse ... though keep in mind, this is the guy who gave us “The Weary Kind,” a song that showered rock and country accolades when it was used in the movie Crazy Heart. But come back around for a second taste, and you’ll find foot stomping Texas Tornado styled numbers smacked up against tunes like “Top Shelf Drugs,” a song with bold swagger, instantly calling to mind the country honk of The Rolling Stones.Bingham is one of the contemporary artists who’s saving country music from the state we now find it in ... useless, senseless, thematic, overly produced, modulated, and auto-tuned to death. If nothing else, Ryan’s demand for creative freedom, which meant ditching, not only his major label Lost Highway, but also his band Dead Horses, making him responsible for all that’s said and done. Leaving Fear and Saturday Night to be just about the best and most consistent body of work he’s unleashed on us. Bingham shows us what Americana music can be, he’s a man with country in his jeans, but riff laden rock n’ roll in his ears, combining the two with some Dylanesque lyrics, in such a manner that gets you to believing that with each Ryan Bingham release, you’re hearing the man for the very first time. You're gonna find plenty here to satisfy your soul, and that’s saying something for a guy who can’t stand studios ...spiriting himself into the California mountains, holdup in an Airstream trailer and off the grid, to flesh out these personal narratives and recollections.Review by Jenell Kesler