Greg Cartwright has always seemed comfortable with the comings and goings of the musicians in his band
Reigning Sound, putting his songs that fuse garage rock and vintage soul front and center rather than his personnel. Given this, it was a pleasant surprise when
Cartwright reconvened the original lineup of
Reigning Sound for a short tour in 2020, and even more unexpected that he took them into the studio to record 2021's
A Little More Time with Reigning Sound, the first album under the group's banner in seven years. 2014's
Shattered found
Cartwright stepping back a bit from the high-octane garage rock of 2001's
Break Up Break Down and 2002's
Time Bomb High School, emphasizing the more mature and soulful side of his songwriting, and
A Little More Time feels like a compromise between these two eras. The opener "Let's Do It Again" is a rock & soul stomper that sounds like an outtake from
Time Bomb High School, and "Make It Up" and "I Don't Need That Kind of Lovin'" are like-minded rave-ups that make the most of Alex Greene's keyboards, Jeremy Scott's bass, and Greg Roberson's drumming. (The album also credits a second drummer, Graham Winchester.) But the heartfelt heartache of "A Little More Time" and "Oh Christine," and the pedal steel-infused laments of "Moving & Shaking" and "A Good Life," are just as reflective of the album's true heart. After 20 years of making records with
Reigning Sound,
Cartwright is no kid, and the more grown-up and less manic tunes seem to reflect his muse in 2021 in a way that rockers, good as they are, do not. (His vocals have also traded some of their power for greater nuance on these sessions.)
A Little More Time sometimes suggests he recorded with this edition of
Reigning Sound out of convenience or availability rather than a desire to reclaim the glories of the past. None of that changes the fact that
Cartwright is a truly great songwriter, though, and he's delivered 11 winners on
A Little More Time with Reigning Sound (as well as a roaring cover of
Adam Faith's "I Don't Need That Kind of Lovin'"), played by a band who know his music and give it the expert support it needs. Simply put, the world needs more
Reigning Sound albums, and
A Little More Time with Reigning Sound is a potent, often joyous reminder of what makes this band (and its frontman) so special. ~ Mark Deming