American Man, American Music
Brooklyn Basement, 2025
9/10
Listen to American Man, American Music
The always impressive singer-songwriter Ron Pope examines survival, love and resilience with these roots rock songs that recruits a long list of guest musicians.
The lively “Nobody’s Gonna Make It Out Alive” opens with plenty of Nashville energy, where Billy Contreras’ soaring fiddle adds much to Pope’s distinct singing, and “I Gotta Change (Or I’m Gonna Die)” follows with a calmer mood, as Seth Taylor’s elegant mandolin complements the intimacy and grace.
Landing at the midpoint is “I Pray I’ll Be Seeing You Soon”, which spotlights Jeff Picker’s meticulous upright bass and Elizabeth Dewey’s gorgeous harmonies with much emotion, while “The Queen Of Fort Payne, Alabama” is a dense and dance floor ready album highlight that benefits from Robbie Crowell’s acrobatic drumming and Kevin Black’s fluid bass lines.
Residing near the end, “Where You’re Kept” welcomes Kaitlyn Raitz’s sophisticated cello and Shaun Richardson’s acoustic guitar via the poetic and heartfelt delivery, and “The Life In Your Years” exits with Pope’s inimitable storytelling that’s fueled by cozy guitar.
You have to hand it to Ron Pope. The guy’s work ethic has been nothing short of admirable. Being a fully independent artist in a field as wide as a singer-songwriter is no easy task, and the New Jersey native’s been plugging away since the early 2000s. He’s lived in Nashville now for 10 years, which has undoubtedly affected his songwriting, and he’s making some of his best music yet.
Travels well with: Effie Zilch- Multitudes; Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms- Gold In Your Pocket