Country supergroup Gone West might have just released their highly anticipated debut album ‘Canyons’ on Friday, but that doesn’t mean any of the group’s members are new to the music scene. Colbie Caillat was a successful pop artist, Nelly Joy scored a top 20 hit in 2010 as one half of the duo the JaneDear Girls, Justin Young was an artist in the Hawaiian music scene and Jason Reeves had success as a songwriter. It’s their collective experience in the business that has allowed them to write songs that are sophisticated yet familiar to the ears of country music listeners.
Some of their respective location backgrounds was a significant influence on the production of this album. ‘Slow Down’ has a nice California vibe, reminiscent of Rachel Reinert’s album earlier this year. Album finale ‘Tides’ has a refreshing inclusion of Hawaiian lyrics, but unfortunately that was one of the only good parts about that song. That and ‘Gamblin’ Town’, an obligatory ode to how difficult it is to find success in the music business, are the only missteps on this album.
What is very much appreciated is that each member of the group gets ample time to shine. Several songs have all four singers featured, while some songs are a duet. But, if there was a duet by two of the members, like on ‘What Could’ve Been’, the next song, ‘When to Say Goodbye’, featured the other couple. It may seem like Caillat does the heavy lifting vocally, but that’s most likely because she was the most recognizable voice in the group. And vocals can’t be discussed without pointing out ‘I’m Never Getting Over You’, which is by far the best vocal performance in this collection.
Lyrical standouts include ‘Confetti’, ‘Knew You’, and ‘Home is Where the Heartbreak is’. And it’s no surprise that all three of those are breakup songs. The group recently told Insider over Zoom that their songwriting sweet spot is heartbreak. What’s most interesting about ‘Knew You’ though, is the fact that they took an innately sad subject of being duped by someone you trusted and turned it into something you can groove to.
To listen to ‘Canyons’, click here.
