Music Review // Robert Jon & the Wreck "One Of A Kind"

At some point in time, I think everyone goes through that phase in music where they listen to a lot of classic rock and by "classic rock" I mean simply music which came out before they were born.  It's still weird to me to think of the kids today listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam for the first time the way I did bands from the 1970's.    But in that journey of what I saw as classic rock, I feel like Robert Jon & the Wreck capture all of those sounds into one.

With a lot of soul, the first song kicks off with those Wallflowers type of keys.  There is also a bit of Zeppelin in here as well as The Who, depending upon which songs you're thinking of from the past.  Throughout this EP I have this feeling of Tom Petty, though I cannot place him directly, and by the time we reach the titular song I can hear some ZZ Top coming through.  This is really like taking a playlist of my favorite classic rock songs and turning them into one song.

On the first song- "Pain No More"- there is a line "I ain't a stranger to pain"- and I think that sets the tone for this EP lyrically.  From feeling like you were down but are getting back up now, this goes into the titular track with the lines: "I think I'm finally coming alive / I think I'm finally one of a kind" which just feels like you're coming into your own.  At the end, we have "Come At Me", which just feels like Robert Jon & the Wreck are ready to take on the world.

More than anything else, this really feels like an album about overcoming something in your life.   Even if you just need to listen to it in the morning to start the day, I think it can be helpful there.  Robert Jon & the Wreck might draw a bit from bands of the past but they have definitely managed to turn those sounds into something all their own.  The way this also ends with such an energetic song makes me feel like it is meant to inspire and motivate.