1 Sept 2021
Country music comes in many varieties these days. There’s the alt-country variety that falls within the realms of Americana, the commercial country sound dominated by those preoccupied with glitz and glamor, and finally, and least obviously, the music that takes the traditional tack pioneered by its revered forebears like Hank Williams, George Jones, Kitty Wells and all the others who drew their sounds from blue collar values of the American heartland.
Wesley Dennis falls into the latter category. Born and raised in Alabama, he started off the standard way, performing on the barroom circuit prior to landing his first recording contract. He found success early on with his first few singles, but it’s the titles of his subsequent LPs — Country to the Core and Country Enough — that affirm his musical mantra.
While the name given his latest effort, Then and One More Day, isn’t quite as revealing as those earlier offerings, it still holds to the same down-home template. While the uptempo “Hey Pretty Baby” makes the most apparent attempt to lure the radio programmers, the majority of the songs take a humbler approach that minimizes any overt attempt to put himself at center stage. “(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You,” “Who’s Gonna Take You When You Go,” “If I Had Any Pride Left At all,” and “Little Things” are honest, heartfelt laments centered on love and longing, embossed with the subtle sheen of steel guitars, understated arrangements and Dennis’ emotionally infused singing and sentiment. Clearly, he’s the real deal, an artist whose love and respect for core country values shine through with every note and nuance.
That said, he also honors the Everyman. The most affecting offering of all comes in the form of “This Song’s For You,” a touching tribute to those who sacrifice everything for the betterment of others — whether it’s the single mom working multiple job to support her family or the service men and women who wear the nation’s uniform and put their lives on the line protecting our freedoms. Dennis makes it clear that they should never be forgotten, even if today’s tumultuous times when it might be all too easy to do so.
Those are the designs that Wesley Dennis abides by — honesty, integrity, devotion, and pure passion — as well as the attributes that inform every note and nuance of this admirable effort. Suffice it to say, Then and One More Day makes for time that’s well spent.
