Reckless Kelly,
Bulletproof

Label: Yep Roc Records
Released: 2008

Reckless Kelly comes out guns a-blazing on Bulletproof, the band's fifth studio album and first on Yep Roc Records.

"Ragged as the Road," "You Don't Have to Stay Forever," and "Love in Her Eyes" kick off a series of radio-friendly numbers with the classic Reckless sound fans love. That sound is the sexy swagger in Willy Braun's lead vocals, great guitar riffs from David Abeyta, and solid rhythm and backing — all wrapped around crowd-pleasing though generally uninspiring lyrics.

And for the first third of the album anyway, the formula seems to be intact. Then "One False Move" gives pause…

At first glance, we're still in this game
There's a desperate chance that hope may still remain
'Til we come to see the error of our ways
We're just one false move away

Is it a song about economic greed? Global warming? International tensions? Or is it just another song about another doomed relationship, this time magnified to a grander scale?

I think the answer lies in the next three even-numbered tracks. "American Blood" takes the White House and Pentagon to task for expending American lives in an oil-soaked war. "God Forsaken Town," written with Robert Earl Keen, reflects upon the plight of those displaced by Hurrican Katrina. And falling in between, "Mirage" is, like "One False Move," something of a mystery; but I think it questions Christianity through the parable of a weary traveler grasping at visions of salvation:

Standing I was blinded by God's golden water
My savior was but a façade
Hand sifting sand from a pool full of promise
My oasis was just a mirage

Regardless of just what "One False Move" and "Mirage" really mean, what's clear is that Reckless Kelly has something to say. If you don't want message songs, there's still plenty of ear candy here. But listen closely and I think you'll hear a newly awakened social consciousness from a collective voice that finds comfort straying from tried-and-true narratives.

These guys have been one of my favorite bands for years, based on sound alone. Now they seem to be emerging into a complete package, I'm finding even more to love.

Listen:

"Ragged as the Road"

"Love in Her Eyes"

"American Blood"

"Mirage"

Buy:

Lone Star Music, Amazon, iTunes

 
 
June 26, 2008