Tuskhead One Step Forward and Two Steps Back
Tuskhead is songwriter musician Patrick van Zandwijk, who hails from the Netherlands and whose country (and Western) Americana style with touches of heavier blues rock and grooves is dubbed Dutchicana. Tuskhead has a new 6-song EP One Step Forward and Two Steps Back, just out, that hearkens back to the simpler days of country music. The songs feature vocal pairings, loping Western and bluesy rhythms and uptempo vibes with cheerful energy amidst pedal steel and baritone sounding guitars.
The album opens with “Dutchicana,” a Western number with a touch of joyful dueting vocals and merriment and the consideration of question of what directions to head in, and an embrace of choosing the life playing the music you love: “They say that I ain’t country enough I should record some songs that sound more like that Morgan Wallen stuff / That old Americana that ain’t it /And the Dutchicana brand you’re playing ain’t gonna make a hit.”
Next on “Home” the vibe slows down to a tone of more direct reflection and again reflects on choosing your own path: “Take the road less traveled, I’m going home / Though home is not where I came from / Where I came from, there’s no way back ’cause I burned that bridge and fell of track.” The acoustic guitar is bright and remorseful, and “I near the cross for all who lost control” is the operative line.
On “Out of My Mind,” we’re invited to consider the way things go round and round in relationship: “One step forward and two steps back / I’m telling her there ain’t nothing left / But she won’t hear me crying out damn loud / I’m digging my own grave again if we can’t turn this ship around.” It’s an accurate consideration of the complexities of human relationships when they share lives together. This song highlights Tuskhead’s mastery of lowdown electric driven blues rock. Later at the end of the EP, this song is performed again in glorious extended version.
“Man You Are To Me” pays respectful homage to the male role model in our lives, “To me he’s always been a hero / There ain’t nothing he can’t do / He built his life through grit and grind and he don’t play to lose He taught me how to keep my head up / How to roll up my sleeves / I hope that someday I’ll be like the man you are to me.” Gently rolling pedal steel provides ambience with this easygoing song and the result is very touching. A respectable choice of cover is included: Tom Petty’s “Crawling Back to You.” It fits just right to anchor the vibe with an easygoing delivery of this thoughtful exploration of the vulnerability and exhaustion involved in life and love.
This EP is an easy listen, a showcase of Tuskhead’s skilled mastery of both country and bluesy styles in songs that relate across the globe because they tap into the core human issues – love (for family, others, self, and a partner), soul searching, appreciation, struggle and following your own path. A nice addition to any catalogue, with bold proclamations that never indulge in showboating alongside deeper reflections, it’s a skilled demonstration of songsmanship. More information is available here on his website: https://tuskhead.com
One Step Forward and Two Steps Back was produced and arranged by Jonathan Kelly & Frederick Kelly and Patrick van Zandwijk Recorded, mixed and mastered at Famous London Recording Studio in Knoxville, Tennessee Engineered and mixed by Jonathan Kelly & Frederick Kelly. It was mastered by Jonathan Kelly and released on Migrant Records.
Musicians on One Step Forward and Two Steps Back are TuskHead (Patrick van Zandwijk) on lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, solo guitar, mandolin, percussion; Frederick Kelly on bass, percussion, brass, and backing vocals; Jonathan Kelly on drums, organ, piano, additional keys, additional guitars (“Out of My Mind” & “Dutchicana”), brass, percussion, and backing vocals; Lea Lomans on featured vocals (on “Dutchicana” and “Ain’t Country Enough”); Jesse Deledda on featured vocals (on “Dutchicana” and “Ain’t Country Enough”); Keenan Schuck on pedal steel (“Dutchicana” “Ain’t Country Enough”, “Man You Are To Me”); Fletcher Daniel on harmonica, percussion (“Out of My Mind”); backing vocals (“Crawling Back To You”).