Mark Roebuck is a man of many projects. He started off his career leading The Deal, a power-pop band based out of Charlottesville, VA that was on the verge of signing a record deal with Bob Dylan’s former manager before he died of a heart attack. The Deal then disbanded and both Roebuck and co-founder Haines Fullerton became involved with a nascent Dave Matthews Band. Cut to 25 years later: Roebuck has reunited with surviving Deal drummer Michael Clarke and has released quite a unique solo record.

Opening track “One More Fall” is a catchy little number, with Roebuck’s endearing vocals leading the way, not to mention some great guitar work from Roebuck. Hell, there’s great guitar work all over this disc, reminding me of some great ‘80s band.

The music here, particularly on a track like “Lazarus,” reminds me of Shoes, or some unknown, lost power band. Nothing here feels old or retro; it all feels fresh and of the time, just very refreshing. Roebuck’s lilting vocals on both “Holden” and “King William County’s The Place” are some of the best that I’ve heard on a singer/songwriter’s disc in a helluva long time. Simply put, this is one of the most audibly pleasing records I’ve heard in a long time.

On a track like “Gratitude,” Roebuck sounds a lot like Nick Lowe, particularly old-school Lowe – which is never a bad thing, certainly more commendable than most of the other stuff that’s out there today. He certainly wears a lot of his influences on his sleeve: “After Day After” sounds a lot like some old Badfinger and is one of the best songs of 2016; I’m not even kidding.

Rating: B+

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