Jesse Dayton – The Hard Way Blues (LP)

Jesse Dayton isn’t just an unsung hero of modern-day American music. He’s a larger-than-life- storyteller who blurs the boundaries between genre and discipline, with a multi-decade career highlighting his work as a chart-topping songwriter, guitar hero, author, movie director, screenwriter, frontman, sideman, producer, and road warrior. Dayton redefines himself once again with The Hard Way Blues, a blues-based rock record produced by Grammy winner Shooter Jennings. Inspired by longtime influences like ’70s-era Bob Dylan, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Mance Lipscomb, the album balances some of the sharpest songwriting of Dayton’s career with loud guitar riffs and amplified attitude.

“People might have expected us to make an outlaw record, but I’ve already done that,” says Dayton. “I wanted to make something that reflected where I’m at right now, so we turned a musical corner and embraced a big rock sound with a lot of ripping, bluesy guitar leads. Sometimes, it sounds like Freddie King. Sometimes, it sounds like Jimmy Page. This record was completely liberating for me because it goes back to so many of my longtime influences. I don’t care about genres, trends, or buzz words — I just care about being truthful to my own vision, and that’s what ‘The Hard Way Blues’ allowed me to do.”