Richard Speight, Jr. 2024: Same Dick, New Music
Dick Jr. and the Volunteers released their sophomore album, Fistfights and Hug-Outs, in March of this year (2024). The ten tracks are primarily alt-country, southern rock, or ‘y’alternative,’ as front man Richard Speight, Jr. might say, with a couple of pleasant surprises thrown in. Overall, it makes for a well-rounded, bingeable album.
Exactly three months after attending the album release party, I found myself reminiscing while completing an online sexual harassment course. Rather than developing a counteractive Dick joke, I decided to utilize the hour for writing my first album review. Hey, I did the training (it’s called multi-tasking), and we won’t dwell on why my mind drifted, but here we are. Now, let’s talk Dick.
Dick Jr. and the Volunteers is fronted by Nashville-native Richard Speight, Jr., who is typically found guest starring in television series, if not directing the episodes himself. Speight may be better known professionally in TV and film, but his experience in music is equally extensive. Since laying his first track with high-school cover band, The Distortion Hawgs (1986), Speight has consistently contributed to recording artists. He was the guitarist for rock band, Fugitive Pope (1993), regularly serves as guest bassist at live shows for rock band, Louden Swain, and was guest vocalist on multiple albums for folk-rock singer Jason Manns – Christmas with Friends (2014), Covers with Friends (2016), and Recovering with Friends (2018). You may see mostly rock music in this background, however, make no mistake. While living in Los Angeles, Speight’s heart is in Tennessee.
His reputation as a grounded, charismatic, and collaborative country artist is likely why the Volunteers include impressive musicians like Jason Manns (vocals), Rob Benedict (vocals), Billy Moran (guitar), Emma Fitzpatrick (vocals), Cooper Appelt (bass), Zachary Ross (guitar), Rob Humphreys (drums), Molly Rogers (viola), and Ben Peeler (banjo). Their debut album, The Dance and How to Do It, hit #5 on the iTunes Country charts in 2019. It features several unexpected, country-inspired covers, as well as the original track, ‘Goin’ Straight,’ with a music video on YouTube currently boasting over 35,000 views. Dick Jr. and the Volunteers may be relatively new on the scene, but don’t let that fool you. This is a group of pros.
Fistfights and Hug-Outs features mostly originals and a couple of well-chosen covers. Richard Speight, Jr. wrote at least a few of the original tracks during the pandemic, and, thematically, the album title says it all. I mean, who wasn’t at least a little frustrated and introspective during that time?
Highlights include a hauntingly beautiful murder ballad, ‘Your Whiskey on My Lips,’ which features ethereal vocals by Emma Fitzpatrick. It vividly paints a dramatic love story of defying the odds to escape the gallows. I’ve seen many tweets requesting the music video or short film this song practically demands (mine included). That seems unlikely, but fortunately this western tale is both beautiful and gratifying in its audio-only format. In contrast, ‘Kerry Anne’ hilariously tells a not-love story of attempted seduction. When Speight sings, “I got so many dirty deeds to do, but not with you,” I want to cringe on behalf of fictional Kerry Anne. Thankfully, the song then transitions into a delightful keyboard solo. If only all rejection was so fun!
I particularly enjoy the nearly transcendental take on Steve Earle’s ‘Copperhead Road’ and feel rebellious just listening to this satisfyingly unique cover. The sound emotes unearthly vibes with building intensity, until easing off just before the end. Essentially, music and production choices transform you to the climatic scenes described in the lyrics, before politely dropping you back in reality. It’s one hell of a ride.
Speaking of a ride, ‘When the Devil Drives’ describes what sounds like curing a hangover with hair-of-the-dog and rallying for another round (with a figurative dirty priest, no less). As the song says, “two wrongs never make a right, but they make a real good time.” This track inspires a craving for whiskey, bad decisions, and a dance floor. In fact, I was so inspired that I made a line dance and tutorial to go with it!
Now, you may be thinking, “Berly, it can’t all be great. Where does it sag?” Well, although it’s another toe-tapper, I could take-or-leave the quarantine-lamenting ‘Layin’ Low in Leb’nun,’ which narrates the boredom of lockdown. Like many of the original tracks, these lyrics clearly tell a story, but this story doesn’t quite match the upbeat soundtrack to which it’s sung. Perhaps that was intentional, as it is still touched with humor, but I don’t usually find myself singing along.
Where a listener can’t help but sing along is on ‘Low Bar.’ If you followed the PBJ(r) tour back in late 2023, you may have seen a whiteboard featured in a few preview performances of this ditty, with Speight actively encouraging the audience to participate in the self-deprecating song. Does it also have subjectively depressing lyrics to the tune of cheerful music? Yes. Am I contradicting my previous critique by happily singing along? Also, yes. What can I say? “My bad habits are all here to stay.”
Overall, I give Fistfights and Hug-outs a rating of 9 out of 10. It’s jaunty with unexpected, vulnerable moments. The ten songs were organized perfectly, the production was stellar, and nearly each track is unskippable. For these past 3 months, the album has been a regular in my rotation, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. As a listener, I found it exceptionally interesting to hear the lyricist advance from describing a hotel-room stay (‘Layin’ Low in Leb’nun’) to concocting a western love saga (‘Your Whiskey on My Lips’). In just over 30 minutes, maturity, measured risks, humor, and style make headway from track-to-track. Speight’s songwriting evolved more within a single album than many lyricists do over an entire career. While I continue to enjoy Fistfights and Hug-outs, I highly anticipate what’s to come from Dick Jr. and the Volunteers.
To see the next live performance from Dick Jr. and the Volunteers, visit OK Fest at the historic OK Theatre in Enterprise, Oregon, on Saturday, August 3rd. To hear about music production and the making of albums like Fistfights and Hug-outs, checkout May’s interview with Producer, Billy Moran, and Audio Engineer, Zackary Darling, on my podcast, Denim-wrapped Nightmares.
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