Definitely NOW by Liam Bailey is a great blues album that has a twinge of just about everything. In the first track “ On My Mind” he seems to be channeling a very bluesy almost 12 bar feel. However he covers quite more than a few styles as his album progresses. Early in the album he is clearly drawing from the style of The Black Keys, however at no point in time did I feel that he was simply copying them. He had such a unique voice that that alone sets him apart from anyone else. His 5th song “Villian” has a different almost hard hip hop back beat to it that could easily be used as a sample in an actual hip hop track. But don’t just hold him to hard hitting drum and guitar songs he does slow things down very well in the later half of the album. These ballads are anything but typical ballads. Where a normal rock ballad sounds a bit boring to me, Bailey however brings an almost indie funk and blues with a hint of reggae to the party. He sheds the whole band in “Battle Hym…” for an acoustic guitar and his milky voice to deliver a touching sentiment. Even though all of the tracks bring something special to the album I think the strongest track has to be one of the least noticed, “Summer Rain.” This tune allows Bailey to truly show that he truly he has the vocal flexibility to be a contender in the Big Leagues. Overall this album will not compare to anything you’ve listened to so far, not entirely though. This would be one of those albums that I would consider does it right. Bailey knows what he’s doing and is able to channel a multiplicity of feels and styles without ever sounds trope or mundane. Definitely NOW is definitely good!
~Alex Dillon
Album Art for Definitely NOW
