Gene Jr. and The Family – With Love
Review By: Nathaniel Collins
Rating: 9/10
Gene Jr. and The Family is a self-proclaimed “World Groove Vibration” group hailing from Joshua Tree, California. Having formed in 2008, they toured in recent years and gained a small following in Southern California. Earlier this year they released their first full-length album “With Love.”
This album has managed to completely take me by surprise. The bland appearance of the physical CD is an incredible contradiction to the quality of music that it holds. Even while writing this now, I am struggling to find the best words to describe this album, partly because of its indescribably great sound and partly because it is currently distracting me with said sound.
Most of the tracks on “With Love” have an upbeat sound that fades in an out of attention as the song goes on. The songs “This Kind Love” and “Feels So Right” are two example of how Gene Jr. is able to maintain a powerful sound, while minimizing the use of extra sounds. These upbeat tracks are where the soulfulness of this artist really show.
On the songs “This Morning” and “With Love” they used a quite conservative style of folk that brings me to a happy nostalgia. Brought fully to life by the meaningful and intelligent lyrics, these tracks tell a story that I think everyone should hear.
Overall this album is the right combination of soul, folk, and amazing to makes its way into my ears, and the ears of anyone else who is wise enough to take me seriously when I say that Gene Jr. and The Family is a diamond in the rough.
Genre: World Groove Vibration, Folk, Soul
FCC: Clean
RIYL: Alabama Shakes, Allen Stone, Blake Miller
Best Songs: With Love, Once In A While, This Kind Love, This Morning, Hustlin’, Free In This World
