Album Review – 49 Winchester’s “Change Of Plans”

Country (#500), Country Soul (#577), and Americana (#570) on the Country DDS.

49 Winchester can do what many other artists and bands can. They prove this on their new album Change of Plans, sliding across many roots disciplines with authority. But few artists and bands can turn around and do what 49 Winchester does. That’s because they don’t have Isaac Gibson leading them into battle with an ascendant voice forged with Appalachian soul that perhaps only Chris Stapleton can best.

For their first album in partnership with a major label (MCA), the boys from Virginia choose to work with producer extraordinaire Dave Cobb, who despite the accolades that regularly precede his name, can sometimes be hit and miss. But some of Cobb’s best work has been with Stapleton. Understanding how to approach Southern soul projected through the Appalachian perspective, the collaboration makes sense beyond putting names together like it’s a fantasy football draft.

Change of Plans is like many of 49 Winchester’s previous albums, mixing straight country songs with more Southern rock sounds and bursts of the Muscle Shoals influence, but all seamlessly integrated. The difference here is in the more intentional texturing on certain songs, playing with rhythm dynamics and different tones, and trying to makes those influences and sounds more distinct track to track as opposed to just barreling ahead where it all blends together.

At times 49 Winchester sounds more country than they ever have, like on the opening song “The Window” that weaves Appalachian experiences into its verses so well. Ditto on the simple but easily appealing song “Bringin’ Home The Bacon.” But never before has the lead guitar skills of Bus Shelton been so exploited like on the songs “Bluebird” and the explicitly rock song “All Over Again.”

Still the best moments from 49 Winchester are when they collapse all their various soundscapes together and make something that leverages the best of them all. This is what they do on the infectious sound of “All Around Me.” Though it’s already been spinning for over half a year ahead of the album, their cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” strongly anchors this record, despite initially being released as a passing tribute to Ozzy.

A significant amount of praise has met the release of Change of Plans, and for fair reasons. Though they’ve always had the sound dialed in, the songs and writing have relied more on Issac Gibson’s delivery than their novel appeal on paper, sticking mostly to love songs and stories inspired by the road. Change of Plans doesn’t appreciably change that observation, but it does make Gibson’s “good not great” writing even less of a concern with the way each song bursts with palpable energy and inherent appeal.

This album does feel like a step up for the boys from Virginia, which it needed to be with the bigger stakes. And when you were already stepping high to begin with, a step up can be a step out of the shadows, which we’ve seen with 49 Winchester being booked on more mainstream festivals and nominated for an ACM Award.

The only thing that has ever held 49 Winchester back over the years has been an avenue for greater exposure, and maybe their name that sounds like a big game cartridge as opposed to a bunch of heartfelt country rockers. It’s not a given that bigger production budgets and better resources results in greater results. But for Change of Plans, it does.

8.3/10

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Change of Plans is available for purchase and streaming.