Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band released “Turn the Page” for the first time in 1973. Since then it’s become the standard-bearer for tour spiels, the quintessential stand in for world-weary, tour-sick musicians everywhere. Full disclosure, though: I’ve never cared for “Turn the Page”, and I find the premise of songs like it to be irritatingly whiny. Make of this information what you will, but I mention it because it means a track like “One More Round” by Silver Dollar Switchblade has an uphill slog with me.
“One More Round” is a dramatic song that tells the same well-worn story of the jaded musician, pouring his or her heart out on the stage night after night, year after year. The band attacks the song with aplomb, and a particularly earnest vocal, but unless you’re the fucking Rolling Stones, I don’t really want to hear you complain about life on the road. There’s no reason a band like Silver Dollar Switchblade should be writing and performing music unless they enjoy it, and hearing a tortured artist screed from them wears particularly thin.
I don’t want to be overly negative about “One More Round”—it’s a good enough tune, and I appreciate anyone writing songs that tell a solid story and are about something. Compositionally the track is tight, with a well-crafted edge to it, and the lyrics are literate and concise. There are definite hints of influences, Old 97s and the Supersuckers’ country albums come immediately to mind. The recording is dark in tone, and the break in the middle seems like it would work very well live.
I’ve listened to other music by Silver Dollar Switchblade and have been warmer to it, especially when they careen toward their hardcore as opposed to country leanings. But for me this track is best forgotten.
By Anonymous
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