Review: The Weight Band 'Shines Like Gold'

The Weight Band

By Mike O’Cull

The Weight Band puts down a hearty set of roots rock and Americana sounds on their new album Shines Like Gold. Set to drop on April 1st, 2022, the record is an incredibly engaging ride through American music and touches on dialects including roadhouse rock and roll, funky swamp pop, blues, country, soul, and folk. It’s the second studio effort for the talented group led by respected guitarist Jim Weider (The Band, Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, Jim Weider Band) and bears the standard for the style of ultra-listenable, cross-genre roots rock created by The Band at the height of the classic rock era. The tunes have a singer-songwriter base that’s propelled forward by smooth, high-level instrumental work and sweet vocal harmonies.

The sessions for Shines Like Gold went down live with little rehearsal at Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, New York over the course of four days in 2020 while the record’s award-winning producer Colin Linden was away in Nashville. Linden is Weider’s frequent collaborator and definitely has the right ears for understanding this crew, even from a distance. Besides guitarist Weider, the lineup of keyboardist Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band), bassist Albert Rogers (Jim Weider Band, Jimmy Vivino), drummer Michael Bram (Jason Mraz) and keyboardist Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts) makes for a mighty ensemble that not only has the chops to play this music but can get inside the soul of it as a unit. Weider calls what the band does the ‘Woodstock Mountain Sound’ and the tag fits perfectly. Hearing a new batch of it is like reuniting with an old, treasured friend.

Shines Like Gold opens with the soulful mid-speed track “Weight Of The World.” The chugging pocket holds up meaningful lyrics about the tension of modern life that bring listeners to an open, comforting chorus that suggests that things might turn out alright after all. Weider’s guitar work is articulate, toneful, and fully on-point, adding magic at every opportunity. He’s a criminally-undervalued player with a lifetime of soul in his back pocket and a lead sound that absolutely sparkles. Gorgeous vocal harmonies in the chorus ice the cake and guarantee you’ll be sitting down to listen to the album in one pass.

“Out Of The Wilderness” blends mandolin and accordion tracks with a Louisiana attitude and more stellar vocals. The song’s unhurried groove feels honest and true and shows confidence in the lyrics and melodies to carry the song to where it needs to go. The accordion parts light up the track’s gentle arrangement and give it an identity no other texture could provide.

The ballad “Tall Trees” is an amber-tinted picture of old memories that will touch your heart’s most vital parts. It’s a dirt-road soul song that shows the taste and refinement of The Weight Band and what they can do with a delicate moment. It may be mellow but it’s one of the best songs presented here.

Weider and Linden’s co-written title cut “Shines Like Gold” is the record’s first single and is as joyous a bit of roots music as you’ll find. Weider’s Telecaster slinging keeps it lively and the rhythm section of Rogers and Bram make the beat happen. It’s an infectious number that will quickly induce repeated listening. Other can’t-miss songs on this sophomore set include “Old John” and “Train Is Never On Time.”

The record closes with a haunting cover of Willie Dixon’s always-relevant “It Don’t Make Sense (If You Can’t Make Peace)” that’s chilling and prophetic. Despite the bliss contained on so much of Shines Like Gold, The Weight Band winds it down with a somber acknowledgement of the work that still needs to be done in our world. Weider and the rest of the group are roots rock masters who will elevate the state of anyone fortunate enough to hear these songs. Spend a weekend with this record and it’ll change your life. Highly recommended.

Pre-order link for Shines Like Gold

Watch “Shines Like Gold”