How far is too far? The Wild Feathers dance around this question on their second full LP, “Lonely Is A Lifetime.” Like any good sophomore album, “Lonely” represents a quest for identity for the young band out of Nashville.
The Wild Feathers’ eponymously titled debut was full of upbeat, alternative music with a strong country twang that had a rugged and genuine feel.
Three years later, The Wild Feathers have now tried doing a full on rock album, and at first glance their new sound is a step forward. However, the new sound takes some steps backwards.
The first track, “Overnight,” is the opener for a reason. It is a driving, head-nodding jam with an impressive hook and guitar solo. This song was made for the radio and large arenas, and sends a clear message that this is the new The Wild Feathers. “Overnight” is the clear standout from the album and represents what The Wild Feathers did right in their second album transition.
Two songs later is “Goodbye Song,” which makes a statement at over eight minutes long. Leaps and bounds away from their first album vibe, this song takes the “Free Bird” approach of four minutes of song and four minutes of guitar solo, while also sounding like a “Hotel California” B-side. That flows right into “Don’t Ask Me to Change,” which comes in just a notch below “Overnight,” and surely must solidify “Lonely Is A Lifetime” as a successful rock & roll album.
However, after all this success with the first few songs, a certain overproduction catches up to The Wild Feathers. They fell into the mold that is reaching epidemic levels in the music industry where bands make two or three good singles but forget to make the rest of the album.
By the end, it sounds as if they might have given up on this attempted transition. After an interestingly placed, borderline a cappella tune with the album’s namesake “Lonely Is A Lifetime,” the album finishes with three songs that should just be chopped off and put on the deluxe version of their debut record.
“Lonely Is a Lifetime" starts out with such promise, but turns into a slippery slope of musical regression. To many of their fans, the attempted rock sound might be a bit aggressive, so essentially The Wild Feathers found a way to almost go too far while at the same time not quite fully committing to the change.
Hopefully, though, this album is just the initial wobble after deciding to take the training wheels off because there are certainly high points. But for now, we can only enjoy the singles and wait to see whether they can really commit next time around.
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