Some songs and albums work well as the soundtrack for the road, be it a quick trip to a neighborhood store or a 500-mile jaunt to points north, south, east or west. A big beat, gritty guitars, and plaintive vocals roar from the speakers, imparting energy when you need it most and lulling you on those occasions when you don’t. Highway Junkie by Andy Thomas travels the highways and byways of old-school Southern Rock in the best of ways, with the boogie-woogie amplifying bluesy riffs and stellar solos, while his reedy voice articulates the hopes and fears of the common man. He’s flirtin’ with disaster, sure, as the genre’s been appropriated by Nashville hacks, but beatin’ the odds: the dreams and concern ring true because they’re his. He’s been trying to make a livin’ off of his rhythms for as long as he remembers, including playing guitar in Yarn and stepping from the shadows to front the Trongone Band.
Highway Junkie, his solo debut, is the culmination of everything he’s learned through the years, including from his own missteps. “I gave up on music for a while, but it wasn’t until I gave up the drinking and the drugging that I realized I was still a junkie, just for the road and playing music,” he explains in a press release. “You have to make a change to see a change and this one spells that out.” The opening title track and closing “Last One Standing” serve as apt bookends to the album. In the former, he finds himself trying to outrun the shadow of his father (addiction is more than just a family tradition; it’s a genetic trait), while the latter delves into his decision to get sober. “I really was the last one standing, and if I didn’t make a change I was going to die or end up in jail,” he says. Both are powerful songs.
The heartbeat of the 12-track set, however, is “Nothing I Wouldn’t Do (For You),” a twangy duet with fellow Virginian Dori Freeman that was inspired by meeting his girlfriend; it’s the kind of tune that the “repeat” button was meant for. “Freedom Song,” for its part, is an outsider’s ode that most everyone who punches a time clock (be it real or virtual) will identify with. The heavy-duty rock ’n’ roll of “Dirty Work” cranks the amps to 11 while slinging vitriol at a former boss who done him wrong: “My mama done told me ‘bout that golden rule, but you must not think it applies to you,” he sings. “Kings & Queens,” a mid tempo gem about how change comes from within, and “Twin Flames” are mid-tempo radio staples in the making (at least, they would’ve been way back when). The same’s true of “Runaway,” which possesses a Rolling Stones/Gram Parsons vibe.
Highway Junkie was produced by Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools and recorded at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond. Thomas handles all guitars, while Josh Shilling plays the Hammond B3 and piano; Stephen Campbell plays bass; Mark Henderson thumps the drums; and Jonathan Meadows, Samantha Reed and Morgan Stewart provide background vocals. As I said up top, it’s a perfect soundtrack for the highway; in the parlance of the moment, it’s a no-click album that lives up to repeated plays. Seek it out.
The track list:
The Old Grey Cat 