Kiefer Sutherland - 'Reckless & Me' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Open Road

2. Something You Love

3. Faded Pair Of Blue Jeans

4. Reckless & Me

5. Blame It On Your Heart

6. This Is How It's Done

7. Agave

8. Run To Him

9. Saskatchewan

10. Song For A Daughter

Kiefer Sutherland released his new album “Reckless & Me” in April of this year, the follow up to 2016’s “Down In A Hole”. Now, I like me a bit of Country so I was really looking forward to listening to this and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. There’s often the worry that, when an actor/actress decides to expand their repertoire into music, there will be an over reliance on auto tune and other studio trickery but he definitely has the voice to be able to pull it off…there’s an edge to his voice that really suits Country and you get the impression he could even pull of Blues convincingly.

There’s a wide range of Country styles in the album, from the slow crooning of “Faded Pair Of Blue Jeans” to the Honky Tonk feel of “Blame It On Your Heart” (the piano part is just fabulous) although, sadly, this does mean that Sentimental Country makes an appearance in “Song For A Daughter” but don’t let that put you off. It’s more than made up for by “Blame It On Your Heart”, album opener “Open Road”, title track “Reckless & Me” and the fast and furious “This Is How It’s Done” which shares the swagger and attitude of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere”.

“Agave” has a glorious swing to it while “Run To Him” mixes in a bit of a Bluesy feel alongside the steel guitar and yet more glorious piano. It’s the kind of song that feels like a live take and at certain points you can hear how much they’re enjoying themselves, riffing off each other. At this point it is worth mentioning that the band are brilliant – tight but loose enough to allow the feel of the music to shine through. He’s touring later this year and I’d love to see the band live…I have a feeling it would be an amazing show.

If the fact that this is by Kiefer Sutherland is making you think twice about listening, please don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s some sort of vanity project; it’s not just an album by an actor, it’s an album by a musician. If you love Country, or even (like me) just welcome it’s occasional appearance in your life, then this is a must have album.