Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice, Drunk Dial Baby | Song Review

W

e have all been there. It’s past midnight, your phone lights up, and you already know what the message says before you even look at it. Nathan Bryce has been there too, and rather than sulk about it, the Kansas City frontman did what any self-respecting blues man would do. He wrote a groove about it.

“Drunk Dial Baby” is out now and it is an absolute departure from the heavier stomp Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice have built their reputation on. This one is looser, funkier, and a lot more fun. Jerry Paswaters’ bass line locks in like it has somewhere to be and Dylan Halacy’s drums push the pocket with the kind of easy confidence that makes you wonder why they were ever playing it any other way. Bryce’s guitar, meanwhile, spends the verses doing something close to flirting before absolutely cutting loose on the chorus.

Lyrically this thing walks a very specific tightrope. It is funny right up until the moment it isn’t. “She only calls me after a couple shots of whiskey” is a line that gets a laugh the first time and then quietly lingers. The bridge lands the whole thing in one sentence. “She just wants a little rock and roll to fill the holes in her soul.” That is the kind of writing that sounds effortless and absolutely is not.

The trio spent three years on the road backing Taj Farrant across the US and beyond. That kind of road time shows. There is a looseness here that only comes from bands who have genuinely put the hours in.

You can take a listen to ‘Drunk Dial Baby‘ by Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice here. 

Four out of five – George James. 

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