James Robert Webb stands out in a crowded country music scene. There is a bevy of reasons why. Webb doesn’t attempt to remake the musical wheel. However, Webb has mastered pouring old wine into new bottles. Webb transmutes country music influences such as fellow Oklahomans Bob Wills and Garth Brooks, among others, through his personal gifts and experiences into music that sparkles with a sense of newness. He’s a diverse talent as well. Learning piano as a young man later led to his status as an All-State jazz pianist who played in his high school and college marching, jazz, symphonic, and concert bands. Webb ties these strands into a single multi-layered thread running through his five full-length album releases.
His new EP Ride or Die is the cornerstone of his forthcoming full-length Weekend Outlaw, due to hit in the fall of 2024. Despite that connection, Ride or Die stands on its own. Webb assembles a brief release that carries the gravitas, entertainment, and satisfaction of a much longer effort. “Gentlemen Start Your Weekends” begins the EP in a robust fashion. Anyone who appreciates a down-to-earth anthem, sans overblown theatrics, will find a lot to like about this opener. I hear it as being in a much more rock mold than country, but it has an everyman appeal common to the latter genre. Modern music blurs genre borderlines so much that it may not matter what we label songs such as this.
“Ride or Die” inhabits similar territory. Webb amps up the energy level for this one. It’s another unabashed anthem that will find favor with a wide swath of his target audience. Despite writing and performing crowd-pleasing fare, I never sense that he’s pandering for our attention. You can’t fake the sort of conviction he brings to bear. “Lovesick Drifting Cowboy” provides another opportunity like that. It shifts gears musically and offers listeners their first exposure to Webb working in a full country style on this EP. He delivers an outstanding vocal performance that’s equal part sensitive and evocative. It is further complemented by traditional instrumental adornments such as harmonica and fiddle that nicely counterpoint his voice.
“Buenos Noches Nacogdoches” is the EP’s penultimate performance. It’s dynamically rich in a way that the earlier cuts lack but develops patiently. We’re past the halfway point when Webb changes the arrangement’s trajectory and explodes its possibilities in an unpredictable yet satisfying way. It incorporates acoustic guitar in a much more meaningful manner than earlier cuts, and Webb expands on that with the closing “Adore”. The beguiling vocal melody is one of the biggest attractions for me. It pairs well with the song’s outstanding musical character, and Webb’s experience allows him to realize the track’s obvious potential fully. It’s a bit of a surprising way to end the EP but you can’t easily pigeonhole Webb’s talents. You wouldn’t want to try.
He stands out, and Ride or Die underlines the reasons why. The best part? There’s more to come. It’s going to be a memorable ride.
Claire Uebelacker