Bandidos - Right On (2022)

Time has a way of smoothing rough edges and growing ambitions, and since their impressive 2015 debut on the sadly now-defunct Bloodshot Records label, the Banditos (originally from Birmingham, Alabama, but now based in Nashville), have blossomed into a retro soul act solidly focused around the voice of Mary Beth Richardson. While that last move is reminiscent of another 'Bama outfit The Shakes, moving Richardson out front is clearly the right idea. You can hear the confidence surging in her tightly controlled vibrato in the rave-up opener, "Time Wasted" which has a '60s girl group feel and a mix that includes a Phil Spector Wall of Sound-styled production complete with a tubular bells and glockenspiel effect. Recorded in the East Nashville studio of producer Jordan Lehning, the production style is kitchen-sink, in-your-face forward. Stephen Pierce (vocals, banjo), Corey Parsons (vocals, guitar), Jeffery Salter (guitar), and Randy Wade (drums) have all become better players, and it's even visually obvious that there is now a new sense of focus in this band. Once proud to be longhaired, flannel-clad southern rockers, they're now more Kings of Leon dapper. Ornate production touches return on "Waves," where banjos mix with a leisurely, impressionistic guitar solo, plenty of reverb, and a choir of background vocals behind the choruses. Alternately, horns are the punch behind the perky "Here Tonight," which also works a soft-loud dynamic as Richardson brings up the volume on choruses before feathering the end of each line: "Life is a drag and then you die/ Sometimes, baby, you gotta get high/ There ain't no mountain too rugged to climb/ Live for today because you're here tonight." And straight ahead guitar rock with lots of tambourine keeping time is the object on "Deepend Weekend." Though Right On closes with three unremarkable ballads that Richardson isn't quite comfortable singing yet, the album is a big step in the right direction for a band attuned enough to make changes for the better.