Joey Green Band, National Underground

Nashville, TN July 13, 2013

Reviewed by Shawn Carnes

Nashville is famous for its curious indifference toward new touring bands. Expectations are generally low. But on Saturday night a seasoned quartet from Ft. Worth, TX challenged the status quo. The Joey Green Band has cut its teeth on the big stage with the likes of Miranda Lambert and Eli Young. With its confident approach to the Americana/roots/rock revival, they proved to be anything but ordinary. The audience was engaged from the moment the band took the stage.  Prompted by the swelling guitars and fluid drums flooding Broadway Street, the crowd began to grow.  Their current project, Lo 5, is laced with well-crafted songs and tasteful guitars that are effective live. The appeal of a project that is not over-produced affords them  the opportunity to stand out in a live setting.  Each song in their set was dynamic, with nuances in all the right spots.  Green’s voice is filled with a raw emotional quiver that gives him a unique tonality. The listener is drawn in both sonically and by the visual portrait he so eloquently delivers. The lyrics are simple and unpredictable at once. The longing in his voice evokes an old soul, as on Nothing To Me.  There were parallel yet opposite themes. Emotions ran from sadness to hope and darkness to light.

When a band or writer can take you on an emotional ride, combining reality and imagination, you cannot help but feel connected to the music.  This group has a universally soulful sound that can also cross genres and demographics.  Mastering that timeless sound and appealing to a wide audience may prove to be the right formula for success.