HomeEF CountryA Thousand Horses - 'Broken Heartland' review

A Thousand Horses – ‘Broken Heartland’ review

It’s been a frustrating few years for A Thousand Horses. After bursting onto the scene with debut single ‘Smoke’ in 2015 and resulting debut album ‘Southernality’ things stalled. An EP, ‘Bridges’ followed in 2018. The EP did have the phenomenal track ‘One Man Army’ on it but an amicable split with Big Machine soon followed. By January 2020 Rolling Stone magazine were reporting that the band had hooked up with producer Dave Cobb on his Elektra Records imprint label ‘Low Country Sound’ for an album that was due to be called ‘Let the Band Play On’.

‘Let the Band Play On’ has eventually morphed into ‘Broken Heartland’. Many of the songs on this album were due to be on that. Tracks like ‘Never Liked the Rain’ and ‘Startin’ Fires’ are finally seeing the light of day now on the bands’ own label, and we can honestly say it is really worth the wait. A Thousand Horses have delivered a truly exceptional sophomore album that does justice to who they are and what sort of band they want to be, even if it has taken them seven years to do so.

‘Broken Heartland’ explodes out of the gates with the title track. An uptempo, catchy rocker steeped in heartland Petty-meets-Springsteen type of feels. There’s an 80s influence that runs all the way through the middle of this album like a stick of rock and a real honest-to-goodness southern rock vibe that channels artists like The Black Crowes through to hard rock bands like Tesla and into the greats of the 70s like Lynryd Skynryd and the Allman Brothers. ‘Broken Heartland’ contains all of that in one three minute burst of joy as lead singer Michael Hobby sings about a town where ‘everybody’s hurting, every bridge is burning and every restaurant has tables for one only.’

If it’s uptempo, heartland joy that floats your boat ‘Broken Heartland’ has that in spades. ‘Don’t Stop’ is a straight-down-the-line rock song with that slight 80s hard rock infusion to it whilst ‘When I Hear Your Name’ is a lighter, poppier song with a gorgeous, elongated chorus that demands to be sung out loud and will be a great addition to the bands’ live set. Similarly, a track like ‘Gone’ which has a kind of 90s Pop sensibility to it, showcases Michael Hobby’s gruff vocals to their finest extent augmented by some terrific harmonies and a delightful piano melody too but perhaps the rockiest song on the album is ‘Carry Me’. ‘Carry Me’ closes down ‘Broken Heartland’ in some style. It’s a funky southern rock song with serious Jagger-style pretensions. There’s some Gospel thrown in for good measure as the band go down in flames in a blaze of scarves, hips, riffage and 70s Rock n Roll!

If it’s a bit of church you like in your music there are some fine Gospel moments on ‘Broken Heartland’. ‘Every Time You Love Me’ has a delightful mix of Blues and Gospel and it’s here you can hear the influence of artists like 80s southern rockers Tesla. This track has a redemptive, ‘Didn’t know how lost I was till I met you’ kind of vibe and the 37th amazingly addictive, sing-along chorus on the album too!

If, like me, it was the Rock bands of the 80s that defined your formative years then you really should check out ‘Never Liked the Rain’. The track opens with just acoustic guitars and Hobby singing about leaving Carolina to try and save a relationship. The band use the visual imagery of rain and tears effectively during the song as it progresses into something akin to an Aerosmith ballad which could have easily fitted onto one of the albums circa the ‘Pump’ or ‘Eat the Rich’ eras. On ‘Define Me’, a Bluesy, swampy number, you get the sound of an artist like Zac Brown jamming with The Black Crowes and a hint of 90s Creed about the vocals too. ‘I was broke, I was lost……like a song with no meaning,’ Hobby sings on a track about finding your pathway and your one true love. That mix of southern Country and 80’s hard rock is further explored on a song like ‘Startin Fires’. A great female backing vocal really augments this tasteful, mature song as the band run through all their southern influences from Molly Hatchett and .38 Special through to Skynyrd and those aforementioned bands of the 70s and 80s.

‘Broken Heartland’ is a triumph of muscle and melody best exemplified on a track like ‘Another Mile’. It’s a punchy, concise and expertly delivered album. The perfect length, sequenced with an ear to the ebb and the flow that the songs create. The album fizzes with energy, heart and soul from beginning to end. There’s no filler or wasted tracks and the band sound great! Learning from the fecund playbook of 50 years of southern rock, A Thousand Horses meld all those decades and influences into a set of songs that demand attention and deserve to be played on arena stages all over the world. It’s been a while but boy was it worth the wait!

Tracklist: 1. Broken Heartland 2. Another Mile 3. Every Time You Love Me 4. Don’t Stop 5. Startin’ Fires 6. When I Hear Your Name 7. Define Me 8. Gone 9. Never Liked the Rain 10. Carry Me Record Label: Highway Sound Release Date: August 26th Buy ‘Broken Heartland’ now

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

Must Read

Advertisement