Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors: Souvenir

Matt Inman on May 22, 2017

After releasing last year’s Live at the Ryman, which captured Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors’ first appearance at the storied Nashville venue, the Music City-based outfit returns with their 10th studio album, Souvenir, proving that they have the talent, power and catalog deserving of such a setting. Lead single “Fight for Love,” which Holcomb says was written the day after November’s presidential election, is an electric country rocker that works both as a powerful love song and emphatic call to action. Immediately following that track, “Rowdy Heart, Broken Wing” showcases an entirely different facet of Holcomb and company, with a more subdued and open rumination that, nevertheless, carries the same strength as the bombastic single. Throughout the album, Holcomb’s steady vocals cut deep on the softer ballads and soar on the arena choruses, and the band as a whole shows that it’s still willing to throw some eclectic choice into the mix after over a decade of releases, like the electronic beat on “New Year” or the Jack Johnson-reminiscent lilt and pop of “Mama’s Sunshine, Daddy’s Rain.” The harmonica-guitar interplay and nostalgic, catchy melodies of “Postcard Memories,” an album highlight, display Holcomb’s ability to craft a solid folk tune, while the more obviously traditional nod of “Yellow Rose of Santa Fe” completes Souvenir’s eclectic picture, encapsulating the many faces of the modern country scene in Nashville.

Artist: Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
Album: Souvenir
Label: Magnolia Musc