Justin Cody Fox, New Southern, album cover

Review: Justin Cody Fox ‘New Southern’

By Mike O’Cull

Blues/rocker Justin Cody Fox blends tight guitar work and high-value songwriting on his latest album New Southern.

Set to drop June 23rd, 2023, the record is a showcase of Fox’s ability to balance his guitar skills with a better-than-most talent for writing emotive songs packed with hooks and genuine meaning. The set was co-produced by Fox, Audley Freed (Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow), and Tommy Brother (Medusa Stone) and is an 11-track song cycle that documents life from the perspective of a working-class musician who sees each moment as a work of art.

Fox’s voice and guitar are the center of New Southern but the album also features a precision-crafted studio band that boasts Freed and Brothers on guitar, Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow) and Seth Aldridge on drums, David Morse and Robert Kearns (Sheryl Crow) on bass, Jen Gunderman (Sheryl Crow) and Rhett Huffman on keys and Tarsha Murphy on backing vocals. Everyone involved knows how to get behind a songwriter and use their individual positions to enhance the big picture. The performances and production let Fox’s songs breathe, grow, and rise to their full potential, which simply isn’t the case on many lesser records.

Justin Cody Fox began chasing music at the age of 15, singing and playing guitar at family jam sessions. He was inspired to write his own songs by his parents’ record stash, which included platters by The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and Fleetwood Mac. Fox put together the power trio Medusa Stone and quickly gained attention as one of the top artists in his North Carolina region.

New Southern is Justin’s second solo effort and proudly displays his development as a songwriter and a person. “I wrote all the songs from real-life experiences and really tried to take a looking-glass approach to my life and the lives around me. We can only see through our own eyes but that doesn’t mean we can’t relate those stories to the human condition and curate them onto a sonic canvas” he said. Indeed, his lyrical relatability is what sets him apart and he seems ok with building on his vulnerable spots.

Fox opens the set with the high-impact “Living Ghosts.” It’s a mid-speed rock song with a little Tom Petty to it written in response to the Las Vegas concert shooting in 2017. It’s a call to “rise above the sadness that you feel” and not let the pain and hatred win. Fox speaks his heart in plain-spoken words without pretense, as great songwriters do, and expertly makes you feel his socio-musical point. It’s a brave track to start an album with but it hits its mark dead-on.

“Take Me Home Virginia” is a soulful tune about life on the road and how amazingly good it feels to be headed home. It’s a major heartstring-puller built on a delicate arrangement centered on Fox’s vocals and sweet slide guitar. Anyone who has ever been away from home for way too long will be deeply moved by this true-life tale.

Fox’s ballad “Blue Hearted Fool” is a plea for forgiveness and reconciliation from a love interest whose heart the singer broke. Justin’s vocal energy and sincerity make this one fly high in true soul music style and quickly get you on his side. The entire ensemble sparkles here and the musicality of the band will leave a lasting impression on you. The sound they make is what that old cliche of “playing for the song” actually means and it’s beautiful.

The deep cut “Walking These Blues” is a strutting rocker full of the kind of dirty guitar licks and heavy grooves that makes us all come alive. Fox can rock and roll just as well as he writes songs and knows how to create a riff that will grab you and refuse to let go. His triple-threat presence as a singer, guitarist, and writer make him what you could call a balanced breakfast. He provides everything you need to get through the day.

Justin Cody Fox is one of the most promising new roots artists currently building their fame and is likely to be one of the few who breaks big. This game of ours is ultimately about the songs you write and Fox succeeds where lesser artists fall back on extended guitar solos. New Southern has the proper mix of mind and muscles needed to win the long haul and speaks the truth in timeless ways that will never falter. Highly recommended.

Justin Cody Fox on Spotify