Kyle Daniel’s career almost became a casualty of the global pandemic, after his appearance at the UK’s largest Country music festival was cancelled and he was forced to catch an emergency transatlantic flight back to his homeland.

By that time he had recorded two EP length CDs, which I subsequently reviewed here www.wrinklyrockersclub.com/w1-cd-data/what's-there-to-say/4d81f828-42f5-4e05-a424-96ec5fec9290, but it has been quite a wait for his full debut album ‘Kentucky Gold’ and a brief UK and European tour to promote it. The album’s title refers to Kyle’s origins in Bowling Green, Kentucky, although for some years now he has been part of the thriving Country music scene in Nashville, Tennessee.

His music is more Country Rock than Country & Western and should certainly appeal to fans of Southern US Rock. The band, which included a second guitar, keyboards, bass and drums, was commendably tight, given that they appeared to have joined him in Europe specifically for this tour. My efforts to identify them have sadly come to nought, although the guitarist and drummer told me at the end of the night that they’re Swedish.

Kyle opened with the as yet unrecorded ‘Travellin’ Man’, before dipping into the new album for ‘Fire Me Up’ (which features Maggie Rose on the recording) and the Country boogie of ‘Runnin’ From Me’. He then reached back to his sophomore EP (‘What’s There To Say’, 2019) for my personal favourite, the radio friendly ‘God Bless America (Damn Rock ‘n Roll)’, which featured nice guitar and keyboard solos.

Returning to ‘Kentucky Gold’, Kyle played some fine guitar on ‘Deep In The Woods’, before introducing the more reflective ‘Following The Rain’ with the story of how Covid nearly derailed his career. ‘Summer Down South’ picked up the pace again (hardly surprising, as the album version features The Cadillac Three), followed by ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ (the recorded version of which features Sarah Zimmermann from the duo Striking Matches).

The penultimate song of the 40 minute set was a cover version, complete with a honky tonk piano outro, but Kyle’s attempts to convey its title to me at the merch stand later were defeated by the volume of the headliner’s! The set closer was a rocking version of the album’s opening track ‘Can’t Hold Me Back’.

There was a healthy queue for the merch desk at the interval, despite the fact that sales at previous gigs had decimated Kyle’s stock*. Hopefully his popularity will ensure a swift return to the UK.

(*My belief that I could fit my frame inside a US medium t-shirt, which was the largest size still available, proved to be delusional, as it only fits up to a 38” chest, so if anyone would like the unworn garment at a substantial discount, do get in touch!)

As alluded to above, headliner’s Southall proved to be very loud indeed; too much so for such a relatively small room, in my opinion. Whether as a result of the volume or not, I noticed a few people depart early or move to the bar area in the foyer (where ear buds were made available). All of which came as a surprise to me, as I’d enjoyed them when (as the Read Southall Band) they supported Blackberry Smoke at the Roundhouse barely 16 months ago.

The six piece band, led by Read himself on vocals, certainly included the twin guitar attack of John Tyler Perry and Ryan Wellman; the rest of the introductions were indistinct, but the other members may well have been those others from the latest, self-titled album (i.e. Braxton Curliss on keyboards, Jeremee Knipp on bass and Reid Barber on drums).

Although the band had that relatively new album (‘Southall’, 2023) to promote, it comprised only one third of their setlist; two of its songs, ‘Out Alive’ and ‘Get Busy (Till It’s Done)’, provided their opening salvo, with ‘Damn’ (from ‘Borrowed Time’, 2017) sandwiched in between. The earlier ‘High Speed Feed’ (from ‘For The Birds’, 2021) and ‘Gunshy’ (from ‘Six String Sorrow’, 2016) led us gradually back to the latest release and ‘When You’re Around’.

I could find no trace of either ‘S&M’ or ‘Where We Belong’ in the band’s discography, so they may be new songs; the following ‘By Surprise’ was from ‘Southall’ and ‘Why’ from ‘Borrowed Time’. Then came a surprise cover version, with ‘Long Cool Woman’ sounding far rockier than anything I’ve ever associated with The Hollies (it was a single from their final Parlophone album ‘Distant Light’, 1971).

‘Scared Money’ (2023) and ‘DLTGYD’ (2021) pulled the high octane proceedings towards their close and a segue from ‘Don’t Tell Me’ (2017) into the familiar ‘Mississippi Queen’, which first appeared in Mountain’s debut ‘Climbing’ (1970).

I’d happily give Southall another whirl, but hope it would be in a room large enough to cope more effectively with the music’s volume.

Gary Smith (photos: Ivan De Mello)

Setlists:

S – Out Alive; Damn; Get Busy (Till It’s Done); High Speed Feed; Gunshy;
When You’re Around; S & M; Where We Belong; By Surprise; Why; Long
Cool Woman; Scared Money; DLTGYD; Don’t Tell Me/Mississippi Queen.

KD – Travellin’ Man; Fire Me Up; Runnin’ From Me; God Bless America
(Damn Rock ‘n Roll); Deep In The Woods; Following The Rain;
Summer Down South; Everybody’s Talkin’; (cover); Can’t Hold Me
Back.