Saturday, March 25, 2017

Roadcase Royale - Get Loud


Roadcase Royale - Get Loud 


The stylishness and deceptive simplicity of Roadcase Royale’s first single, “Get Loud”, is a by-product of the principals involved and their considerable talents. The experience that guitarist Nancy Wilson of Heart and vocalist Liv Warfield bring to the table is also a critical factor in its success – with a top flight band accompanying them, this savvy musician and singer are able to steer this song to its fullest potential. Wilson and Warfield are accompanied by Heart’s veteran members Chris Joyner (keyboards), Dan Rothchild (bass), and drummer Ben Smith. Warfield brings her musical director and lead guitarist Ryan Waters into the fold for good measure and the six members of Roadcase Royale enjoy an immediate chemistry that goes far past Wilson’s familiarity with many of the members. Instead, this lineup and first single seem to be the results of an inspired masterstroke – rarely do musicians with such sympathetic interplay establish chemistry so quickly, but the majority of Heart and Warfield’s contribution mesh together quite nicely.  

Liv Warfield’s tenure with Prince and her long critically acclaimed career as an R&B singer doesn’t mean she sounds out of place on a track with decided rock leanings. Instead, she rises to whatever challenge this poses and gives over everything she’s got to making this performance work. The phrasing she employs is quite impressive – few lines move her in the exact same way and this variation in her approach makes this a lively vocal experience from the first. She shows fantastic timing as well – Warfield knows exactly when to come in, when to bow out, and the technical artistry she demonstrates throughout the track is, likewise, accompanied by tremendous passion. She reaches the peak of her performance during the song’s fine chorus. 

The music matches her passion and artistry. Experienced musicians like these know that what you play isn’t nearly as important as what you don’t play – to that end, “Get Loud” benefits from the right amount of space in its arrangement and orchestrates a comfortable weave of energy. The guitar work sparks the song further. Waters never overdoes his position as lead guitarist and the addition of acoustic guitar is a strong touch that adds much to the song. It’s the perfect musical environment for the song’s lyrics to flourish.  The arrangement pushes the inspired lyrical message with just the right level of brightness, the right tempo, and the musicians fix in on what each other is doing while remaining fluid and steady all the while. The rhythm section of Rothchild and Smith deserve particular note for the seemingly effortless swing they strike during the verses that really gives Warfield a hook to hang her killer vocals on. From the first seconds to the last, “Get Loud” is a winner. Some musicians just distinguish everything they touch. Nancy Wilson’s long and decorated career with Heart has proven her a consistent bet for great new material and she’s surrounded herself with a bevy of similarly talented musicians in Roadcase Royale. 


Dale Butcher

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