Bunch - Forever My Sparring Partner

We here at WYMA are a lot like the rest of you.  After all, we put on our pants one leg at at time -- at least on the days we wear pants.  One difference, however, is that when we learn of great new music our first instinct is to write about it here so you can enjoy it as well.  It is, after all, why we exist, not the trappings of the glamorous lifestyle of pop music journalists with a $3 annual expense account (no questions asked!) and as many paper clips as our hearts desire.

So today we bring you Forever My Sparring Partner by Alabama band Bunch.  Founded by ex El Cantador Heath Underwood, this is guitar-oriented rock that is earthy and soulful -- elements which characterize our favorite southern rock.  More specifically, the album is a collection of gospels of red dirt, full blooded lives, travails, lessons, persistence and triumphs, told with a keen eye, a poet's tongue and an artist's flair.  The performances are tight, and fully do justice to the material.  And don't read too much into the "southern" tag.  The music is un-mistakenly regional, but is in no way country.

You may note at the Bandcamp link below that Forever My Sparring Partner was released in mid-November, and we are just getting around to writing about it.  News travels slowly to us in the North, and other events in November had captured our bandwidth for a while.  Check out some tracks below, and if they hit the spot, go to the Bandcamp link and play the entire album.  You will note that the lyrics are available, and I suggest displaying them while listening.  Then buy the record like good little boys and girls.

All songs on Forever My Sparring Partner were written and arranged by Heath Underwood, who also provided the vocals, as well as guitars, pedals and effects, and vibe-bells.  Additional players and vocalists were Paul Kimsal, Joe Dickey, Allan Castleberry, Simon Roper, Matt Prince, Maria Kowalski, Bruce Bouton, Lesley Jones-Smith, Amanda Smolinski, Victoria Noll, and Samantha Harlow.










Website
Facebook
Twitter
Bandcamp for Forever My Sparring Partner