BRAD HELLER
THE SENTENCE
ETERNAL SEASON–THOUSAND DAYS–THE SENTENCE–GONE–THE RUNNER–THE GREATEST CRIME–BOUND FOR NOTHING–TIME’S THE ENEMY–CHASING WOLVES–EUCHARIST–COMES A TIME–THE GARDEN TREE
Roots-rocker Brad Heller has become a voice for the common man, using his music to call attention to the myriad of society’s problems. His latest album and fifth overall, is the all-original set entitled “The Sentence,” and is full of topical social commentary that the fans of his legendary live shows have come to love.
The set opens with the jangly guitars over Brad’s story of the gradual dissolution of the American middle class over a “decade lost beyond reason,” and entitled “Eternal Season.” A Chris Isaak-ish vocal delivery conveys the various reasons why our hero hasn’t “prayed in a Thousand Days,” while the Spanish waltz groove of “The Runner” finds our hero as a platoon leader vowing to run his charges until “it melts the steel in their blood.”
Brad copes with the loss of his father with two tunes. First, the heartland rock of “Time’s The Enemy,” then with the somber poignancy of “Chasing Wolves.” The set closes with Brad’s offer of hope and better days to come, beneath “the shade of The Garden Tree.”
Our favorite was an easy choice. “Eucharist” deals not only with the consequences of addiction, but also the abandonment of one’s faith in the process.
Brad Heller, a transplanted North Carolina native, continues to forge his own identity on the Americana-roots scene. A consummate storyteller, his songs reverberate within Everyman, tackling today’s societal challenges while offering a ray of hope in the end. Please enjoy “The Sentence.” Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
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