Entertainment

Andrew’s Judgmental Album Reviews: Jelly Roll – Whitsitt Chapel (2023)

It’s been a minute, but lets get back on track with the newest Jelly Roll album! Whitsitt Chapel is up for judgment!

Published

1 year ago

June 11, 2023

Long time no see everyone! There was an accident that left me in the hospital for a while, but now I have access to a computer and some alone time; its time to try and get back on the horse! Jelly Roll is someone who I stumbled on right around quarantine time. His particular brand of bluesy southern crooning, mixed in with emotion driven raps and usually relatable topics made me an instant fan. Now I’ve gathered from the one single I heard, its more of a Country Album instead of bluesy southern fried Rap.

He’s pretty much nailed everything I’ve heard him do, so lets see how a full fledged country album lands on the ears!

Artist: Jelly Roll
Album: Whitsitt Chapel (2023)
Label: BBR Music Group
Total Track Time: 43:32

Early topics are definitely a space where Jelly plays well. He’s a master at conveying pain, struggle, and reaching through the airwaves to relate to the listener. Even if the religious aspects (it’s Country music, come on now, you expected it), don’t correlate, his imagery of it just being a place of solace and assistance bleed through in a wider reach of metaphor. This also plays on familiar country tropes with booze, backroads and Jesus, but again, the song structure is beautiful and the lyrics transcend the cliches to form this immaculate rainbow of depression with the pot of gold just visible enough to not succumb to the pain in the song.

“I thought my demons would find me, with blue lights behind me”, is a great line from Kill A Man. The way it flows with the little Country bent surfer melody, is a sound I didn’t know I needed to hear. Jelly is a great ballad singer, and this album has really just been a fantastic experience. I know some people have criticized Jelly with always making music around struggle, pain and demons; but the way he approaches every song is unique. Even if you know the song will unlock a memory or demon you’ve tried to quash down, its poetic and nearly cathartic with how he proves his relatability with every song. Also it can’t be understated, even though this is very much so, a Country album, there’s still elements of the bluesy Hip-Hop he came to some fame with.

1. Hold on Me – 3:36

Starts with an almost Garth Brooks style of twang and guitar bend. The lyrics are poignant but not exactly hard to decipher. A simple song about realizing the person you’re with is good for you, what you need, who you’re holding; but addiction has the hold on you. Which even if your particular addiction you can’t break free from isn’t alcohol, or may be something more intangible; many of us have something holding us back. This is somber and self aware, which there’s no happy ending to this song; but acknowledgment is always the first step.

2. Behind Bars (feat Brantley Gilbert & Struggle Jennings) – 2:57

Now this is one of those beautiful metaphors, because when you hear the line “most my friends are behind bars” you start buying into this being a jail song. But most his friends are named Jose, Jim and Jack…you know, liquor brands, so most of his friends are behind bars. “They’re servin’ time so I can get long gone, Most my friends are behind bars, I’ll break ’em out and pour ’em up real strong”. While its another song about alcohol and demons, the way its arranged resonates in a way that I appreciate and find clever.

3. The Lost – 3:19

Feels almost like a call to his fans and the people that relate to his music. The lost, the broken, the damned are his kind of people. “I’ve been down and out, I’m better with the lost than the found, My solid ground, Is better with the lost than the found”. The song is structured more like a rallying cry, less of a bluesy croon and really keeps a solid tempo to convey the feeling of enjoying his people and coming together to support one another.

Again, if there’s a critique, it really is just that you have to be in the mood to feel, reflect and have emotions churn for 40+ minutes to listen to the whole thing. While the tempos of some songs are quicker and there’s musical breadth, lyrically, its a dark album. So if you want sunshine and something to just tap your foot to; prolly best to look elsewhere. Or you know, if you’re someone who’s life is pretty easy, then this whole album might just sound like whining.

But if you want to just experience what it feels like to be in one of the most compelling group help sessions ever; grab a beer, a chair and give this a spin.

Final Judgment: 9.25/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Bandwagon Nerds #245: Finales & The Future

The guys discuss the season finales for The Boys & The Acolyte, break down the final Deadpool 3 trailer, and speculate as to the Avengers possible future.

Published

5 days ago

July 22, 2024

PC Tunney

BWN returns this week just in time for the biggest two-week stretch in Nerdom in a very long time. This week saw the season finales of The Boys & The Acolyte. While we have come to expect the unexpected with The Boys, the Season 4 Finale pulled the rug out from everyone with one of the more shocking closing sequences we have seen in a while. Where this leaves us for the final season is anyone’s guess, but the guys try to make sense of it here. Meanwhile, Dave & Tunney touch on the season finale of the much-maligned The Acolyte. Did anything come out of the finale to redeem the series or, more importantly, warrant Disney giving it a second season? The final trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine dropped this week as the biggest movie of the summer comes our way this Friday. The guys discuss the final trailer and speculate as to how much of a gate Deadpool & Wolverine might draw. All that plus more layoffs at Warner Brothers, disappointing news for the Halo franchise, and with San Diego Comic-Con also happening this week, is Marvel poised to bring back some familiar faces to herald in the next wave of Avengers movies?

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About Bandwagon Nerds

Join Patrick O’Dowd, David Ungar, PC Tunney, Rey Cash, and DPP as they keep everyone up on all things nerd, and maybe add some new nerds along the way. It’s the Bandwagon Nerds Podcast!

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Entertainment

Musical Chairs S4: E2- Randy Newman & The Doors [071624]

Musical Chairs returns for Episode 2 of Season 4. This week, the guys cover Randy Newman and The Doors!

Published

2 weeks ago

July 16, 2024

David Ungar

Musical Chairs returns for another excellent installment as we take a look at two more tremendous acts from the annals of music history. This week, Patrick chose Randy Newman. Equal parts songwriter and performer Randy Newman is one of the most celebrated songwriters of this, or any other, generation. In the later part of his career, he composed no less than nine Disney-Pixar films, and he has been nominated for 22 Academy Awards! Dave, meanwhile, chose one of the most iconic and controversial bands of all time…The Doors. Led by one of rock’s all-time great frontmen, Jim Morrison, The Doors redefined music in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Despite being under constant scrutiny…. including being banned in many parts of the nation… The Doors became legends and their music continues to be extremely popular even today. Tune in this week and learn a few things about two hugely important fixtures of musical history!

Today’s hosts: Dave Ungar (@AttitudeAgg) and Patrick O’Dowd (@WrestlngRealist)

Episode 2 of Season 4 of Musical Chairs focuses on Randy Newman & The Doors

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The rebirth of Chairshot Radio will see a rotating cast of hosts delivering you a new show EVERY day. Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment is the umbrella under which we seek to invade your earballs. So sit back, relax and LET US IN…

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About the Chairshot Radio Network

Created in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts, including POD is WAR, Women’s Wrestling Talk, Chairshot Radio daily editions, The #Miranda Show, Badlands’ Wrestling Mount Rushmores, The Outsider’s Edge, DWI Podcast, Bandwagon Nerds, the Greg DeMarco Show, 3 Man Weave, Five Rounds, Turnbuckle Talk, The Reaction and more! You can find these great shows each week at theChairshot.com and through our distribution partners, including podcasting’s most popular platforms.