The Fighter
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
The Atlanta multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Wilms returns with a 3rd album, where Nick Robbins, Bo Bedingfield and some guests join him for the thoughtful 9 tracks.
“All The Roads” starts the listen with Wilms’ pretty acoustic guitar and Bedingfield’s skilled drums for the poetic folk-rock, and “Born To Die” follows with a slower pulse of gentle Americana, where the charming vocal harmonies courtesy of Julia Haltigan make for much warmth.
Moving towards the middle, the rich “I’ll Start Tomorrow” benefits from Robbins’ skilled bass, while “Props” welcomes David ‘Smoota’ Smith’s well timed trombone that suits the graceful keys of the soulful climate.
Deep onto the back half, “The Fighter” is a frisky moment of rhythmic roots rock that will get your body moving to the crisp drums and spirited guitar, and “Yes I Know” exits with a hint of grit amid the melodic delivery of the album’s best track- not that each tune isn’t great in its own right.
A sought after session player who has also played on Broadway, in Chico Hamilton’s band, and currently plays metal/prog-rock in NOMOTO, Wilms is nothing if not adaptable, and these cozy, relatable songs settle in quite nice.
Travels well with: Benjamin Jayne- Broken; Cat Bells- Partly Cloudy