Here's To Nothing More Ladling Out Delicious, Swerving Rock

I can't say enough positive things about Nothing More weaving in and out of tantalizing sound progressions throughout "Here's To The Heartache". This effort falls squarely under the umbrella of rock as effective therapy. Not that the subject matter breaks new ground. However, what it does the retreaded material bears sizable notice. The San Antonio outfit clicks in every facet where one can click. Jonny Hawkins cuts a mean figure behind the mic. He's exceedingly crisp to the ear. He's singing from an unobstructed place not fogged up by jaded world weariness. His voice spells out the clear and present dangers of life on our shared rotating orb. Ben Anderson bashes skins with unbridled aplomb. His beats are the lip smacking dressing to this mouth watering salad of dimension, timbres, and pitch. Daniel Oliver knows his way around the bass, and it shows no end. Mark Vollelunga's oomph behind the lead guitar strap cannot be underestimated. The opening harmonies sound nothing like the chorus. You get two separate, unique flavors for the price of one. Lick your lips and your appetite for rock that forges its own trail gets to be satisfied. Jonny reminds us of life's fragility and that getting complacent flat out isn't an option. He makes lost dreams and mistakes made appear noble even if for us all it translates to a losing effort, some much later than others. Personally, I can easily visualize Jonny raising a glass to the bruises, scars, and heartache accumulated along his personal trail. Because his voice rings out so plainly, it makes it easy for him to be followed, respected, maybe even feared a bit. He reminds us Fate cannot and will not be staved off indefinitely, that no matter how much he holds someone dear, a fade out is going to make itself known. Not exactly a valley of uplift but there's the plain truth. I appreciate Nothing More conveying an attitude not of depressed staring at the navel but one of steeled, accepting resolve. The future may look bleak but hope is not without glimmers. Jonny is all about the life in review posture. "Here's To The Heartache" gets ample room to breathe, a tempo befitting a song wrapped up in universal recognition of theme. The journey leads to an inevitable conclusion but we hear him engage in such a way that we know the journey isn't hurried by any stretch of the imagination. It's as if he's being brave enough to smell the roses while he's around to give them a sniff. "Here's To The Heartache" places high premium on ear grabbing melody and that really works well for all concerned. Nothing More uses its collective imagination to remarkable effect. The sound resonates off the walls your own imagination can paint in at its leisure. The rock landscape would be nothing without heroes willing to fall on their swords for what matters most to them. "Here's To The Heartache" proves it's worth raising a glass to in the name of cautious optimism.