James Robert Webb – ‘Ride Or Die’ [EP] [Album Review]

Country rock singer-songwriter James Robert Webb has released his new EP, Ride Or Die, providing the groundwork for his fifth long player, Weekend Outlaw, slated to drop this fall.

“We all realize the fleetingness of life, and know we’ve got to do it now,” Webb says. “The whole ‘Weekend Outlaw’ mentality is about being true to our passions. The songs on the Ride Or Die EP dovetail perfectly with that concept.”

Webb, who grew up on a farm near Tulsa, Oklahoma, learned piano and listened to Oklahoma artists like Bob Wills, Garth Brooks, and Leon Russell, along with jazz artists such as Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, and Gil Evans. Later, he played piano in his high school and college marching, symphonic, jazz, and concert bands.

In his other life, Webb is Dr. Webb, a musculoskeletal radiologist who is one of the foremost specialists in the U.S. Along with performing at venues like the Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Café, the good doctor has shared the stage with the Marshall Tucker Band, Ray Stevens, and Montgomery Gentry. He’s won a variety of awards for his music and topped the Texas Regional Radio Report chart numerous times.

James Robert Webb, photo by Shervin Lainez

Ride Or Die comprises six tracks. Highlights include “Gentlemen Start Your Weekends,” a tight country rocker that begins slowly and then ramps up into overdrive. Snarling guitars atop a pushing rhythm give the tune an infectious motion as Webb’s deep tenor ignites the lyrics with flaming energy.

Perhaps the best track on the EP, the title track hums with palpable momentum. Finessed guitars, a braying organ, and a luscious rambling piano infuse the melody with alluring oomph. “Adore,” the closing track, takes things down a notch or two, offering a creamy, rolling melody that allows Webb to reveal the soft grace of his voice.

At times swashbuckling, at other times tenderly quixotic, Ride Or Die showcases the appealing, self-assured vocals of James Robert Webb.

Ride Or Die Track Listing:

1. Gentlemen Start Your Weekends
2. Ride Or Die
3. Lovesick Drifting Cowboy
4. New Moonlight
5. Buenos Noches Nacogdoches
6. Adore

Run Time: 23:11
Release Date: June 7, 2024
Record Label: Independent