New Release: Roll Up A Song by Gonzalez Smith (Bobo Integral Records)

Jay Gonzalez is in the midst of a fruitful musical career. Besides serving as multi-instrumentalist and background vocalist with the Drive-By Truckers for the past 15 years, he’s dropped a string of solo releases including 2021’s excellent Back to the Hive. His reputation as a skilled and serious musician has been sealed. According to his Bandcamp page, Gonzalez’s musical tastes range from “Baroque to A.M. Gold and power pop.” Intrigued yet?

While Gonzalez takes care of the music end of Roll Up A Song, collaborator Pete Smith handles the lyrics on the album. Smith is a well-known lyricist, providing the lyrics for Gary McFarland‘s Butterscotch Rum from 1971, among others. Somehow, that experience led him to comedy writing for Adult Swim‘s animated shows Space Ghost Coast To Coast and The Brak Show. The Gonzalez-Smith alliance has resulted in an album of 17 fabulous pop creations.

The first single “She’s My Girl” is a gem of a tune and definitely the antithesis of a DBT song. It is a prototypical, straightforward power pop gem, reminiscent of a Beatles‘ creation. It’s no secret that Gonzalez is a student of 60’s music, especially that of The Fab Four. The opener, “Roll Up,” presents a marching drumbeat, rife with sunny vibes: “Roll up a song for all of us stumblin’ through the day / Roll up a song for everyone hoping to find a way.”

“The Lexington Line” is the second single and a sort of torch song. The popping keys and sweet harmonies provide another feel-good slice from the album. “Forgetting You” showcases Gonzalez’s warm keyboard work and may not be a torch song, but an attempt to move on from a lost love: “Forgetting you is easy, I do it every day / I wake up not remembering your soft and sleepy face.”

A terrifically upbeat addition is the power poppy “Gelato,” which pays tribute to a couple of sweet things. “I have a sweet girl like gelato / When I taste her creamy lips I go incommunicado.” Later, in a brief ode to rock royalty, Gonzalez belts out, “I want to sing like Lindsay Buckingham singing all of the notes that Lindsay wrote / If I could sing like Lindsay Buckingham I could go my own way.” Perfect. Gonzalez has paid tribute to his bride in previous solo efforts, so the fact that Smith has penned a few ballads on Roll Up seems to belong in the Gonzalez wheelhouse.

The 17th and final track, “What’s Next,” is apropos. Surely, with this ample supply of content, Gonzalez and Smith have a few tunes leftover which could lead to a possible follow-up. Roll Up A Song is full of genre-bending, rich and catchy songs, each possessing a unique and singular sound. Honestly, there are so many ditties it’s a challenge to pick just one standout. But they’re relatively short and singalongable, so find your favorite.

The general feel of Roll Up is a positive one. Next to Smith’s well-penned lyrics, fans are once again reminded of the multitude of talent Gonzalez possesses. Check out his website or visit his Bandcamp page to preview music and preorder Roll Up A Song before its December 1 release!

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