Jam Band: Chadwick Hagan's Otterly Road

They share producer (Daniel Duerr) and record label (Emerald City), so it shouldn’t be any surprise that Chadwick Hagan’s Otterly Road has a Jam Band sound in common with Thomas Cunningham. Neither are true Jam Bands, but both are singer-songwriters who let that Jam Band groove color their rhythms, melodies, and rhymes. Hagan lays down some great guitar licks to kick off tracks like “A Darling,” “So Very Sorry,” and “If It Will.” “If It Will” has that great line, “And is rock ‘n’ roll gonna save my soul? I never know/And I’ll never know if it will.” “If It Will” and “So Very Sorry” are the strongest tracks in terms of rocking, exploring, and landing in that groove without drifting off much. Keys from Marty Kearns really pick up the tunes with a Western saloon, Stephen Foster jauntiness.

Thanks to Chadwick Hagan and Emerald City Entertainment Group for the review copy.