REVIEW: James Robert Webb — Lost in Vega$ (SINGLE/VIDEO)
I came of age during a period of country music history, the 1980s and 1990s, when old guard figures such as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, et al, ceded way to an increasing blurring of genre lines. Traditional country hung on through the creep of Southern rock’s stylistic flavor into the time-tested tropes of pedal steel guitar, rural themes, and country music’s historical base strength — plain-spoken narratives that eschew pretension.
WEBSITE: https://www.jamesrobertwebb.com/
James Robert Webb is a progeny of this musical line. The Oklahoma native has a thriving career as a musculoskeletal radiologist in the Tulsa area and relishes the help he provides his patients, but he likewise finds deep fulfillment as a singer, musician, and songwriter. His five albums thus far attest to an abiding passion for music that began as a child and has blossomed into a full-blown expression of Webb’s life-affirming aesthetic.
The latest expression of that arrives with the release of his new album Weekend Outlaw, due in 2025. Webb has already dispatched several singles from that release, and the latest, “Lost in Vega$”, further expands on the promise illustrated by its predecessors. It isn’t your customary love song in the modern country vein. I expected a slower-paced tune, given that I read in the press material that it was a love song, but Webb comes out of his corner swinging.
“Lost in Vega$” has a palpable sweep. It moves at a muscular mid-tempo pace that strikes a confident stride from the outset. Confidence fills Webb’s vocals as well. He takes us through the dramatic beats of a love affair playing itself out against the sparking Vegas landscape. The lyrics are rife with concrete details that linger in the listener’s imagination. However, Webb’s key strength is building songwriting narratives that never bog down and ring out with universality. There’s a cinematic flavor underpinning “Lost in Vega$” you cannot ignore.
No one will argue that “Lost in Vega$” has considerable commercial appeal. Webb deserves kudos for embracing that while still providing deeper listeners with a satisfying blend of full-bodied music and intensely human lyrics. He doesn’t shortcut listeners. Predictability is a strong suit throughout “Lost in Vega$” because listeners appreciate a well-turned performance dispatched with skill. This isn’t paint-by-numbers musicianship stringing together tired variations on a theme.
The song’s underlying thoughtfulness is another merit. It isn’t often we encounter songwriters in this style investing the same deep interest in people and matters of the heart. Such understated ambition conspires with the rich band performance to lend added weight to an already impactful single. James Robert Webb is setting the stage nicely for Weekend Outlaw’s release. He’s stringing together several top-notch singles that are representative of the album’s potential and whetting the collective appetites of country and rock songwriting fans.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/lost-in-vega%24-single/1761914253
Weekend Outlaw promises to be a banquet for that audience. It is also the next long stride forward for my songwriting and performing career gaining momentum with each new release. Webb’s longtime admirers will sense his accelerating rise with songs such as “Lost in Vega$” which suggests he’s at or near the peak of his skill.
Colin Jordan
