A Little More Time with Reigning Sound＜Colored Vinyl/限定盤＞

Greg Cartwright has always seemed comfortable with the comings and goings of the musicians in his band Reigning Sound, putting his songs that fuse garage rock and vintage soul front and center rather than his personnel. Given this, it was a pleasant surprise when Cartwright reconvened the original lineup of Reigning Sound for a short tour in 2020, and even more unexpected that he took them into the studio to record 2021s A Little More Time with Reigning Sound, the first album under the groups banner in seven years. 2014s Shattered found Cartwright stepping back a bit from the high-octane garage rock of 2001s Break Up Break Down and 2002s Time Bomb High School, emphasizing the more mature and soulful side of his songwriting, and A Little More Time feels like a compromise between these two eras. The opener Lets Do It Again is a rock & soul stomper that sounds like an outtake from Time Bomb High School, and Make It Up and I Dont Need That Kind of Lovin are like-minded rave-ups that make the most of Alex Greenes keyboards, Jeremy Scotts bass, and Greg Robersons drumming. (The album also credits a second drummer, Graham Winchester.) But the heartfelt heartache of A Little More Time and Oh Christine, and the pedal steel-infused laments of Moving & Shaking and A Good Life, are just as reflective of the albums true heart. After 20 years of making records with Reigning Sound, Cartwright is no kid, and the more grown-up and less manic tunes seem to reflect his muse in 2021 in a way that rockers, good as they are, do not. (His vocals have also traded some of their power for greater nuance on these sessions.) A Little More Time sometimes suggests he recorded with this edition of Reigning Sound out of convenience or availability rather than a desire to reclaim the glories of the past. None of that changes the fact that Cartwright is a truly great songwriter, though, and hes delivered 11 winners on A Little More Time with Reigning Sound (as well as a roaring cover of Adam Faiths I Dont Need That Kind of Lovin), played by a band who know his music and give it the expert support it needs. Simply put, the world needs more Reigning Sound albums, and A Little More Time with Reigning Sound is a potent, often joyous reminder of what makes this band (and its frontman) so special. ~ Mark Deming