Album Review: Bumpin Uglies strips it all off with “Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions”
Photo credit: Jeremy Morgan / Highly Decent Photography.
For over 15 years and across 10 full length albums, Bumpin Uglies front man, Brandon Hardesty, has been writing music with limitless relatability for a community of folks striving for success in any faction (some being held back by a broken system, vices or an undesired mental state, hell-bent on having a good time regardless), with the urge to throw a middle finger to anybody getting in the way of the mission. Each track is his own encounter, but in some way, we’ve all been there before.
His lyrics are gritty and raw, lacking any filler; what you see is what you get. The stories and events he strings together on top of catchy melodies are his life. They are testimonies to the realest degree of what it’s like to climb uphill, chase dreams and fight internal demons while whistling a reggae tune during the entire battle (and maybe having a beer or two at a house-party along the way). So much of this effortlessly pertains to such a mass of fans and listeners, Bumpin Uglies has been able to carve out its own style of success amongst a sea of other great bands and artists.
Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions is a carefully curated collection of BU past favorites plucked from albums across its discography, supplemented by a handful of new recordings to get lost in for the first time. The previous releases have been completely stripped of their former sounds and replaced by Hardesty’s full and unabated angst, joy and emotional outbursts; a soulful display of what seems to be overflowing from the locked box on top of his shoulders.
There are no frills here, not a single second is watered-down with anything extra. I imagine this is what the music always sounds like, before its edges are taken off with softer vocals and the addition of the normal instruments to create a track that aims to be enjoyable by many. This album feels like it needed to happen, for the music to be heard in its true, unfiltered form from the artist's point of view, and not necessarily an attempt to make a chart-topping hit. There is an ominous sense of pure transparency and vulnerability captured in every song – new and old – and I can’t help but applaud the entire project.
I don’t want to break down any of the songs in this write-up. Many of you have heard most of these tunes in their full band versions, but nobody has heard them all. There are seven previously unreleased tracks that I want you to listen to for yourself and feel whatever they make you feel. What I can promise you for sure, is that you will unquestionably know the way Hardesty feels. I have no way of being sure, but I bet some of these were done in one take, recorded exactly the way they came out of his soul.
Grab a drink or roll what ya got and throw those headphones on, it’s time to rediscover some great music with true significance and get an earful of new creations as well. Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions was released in partnership with Silverback Music’s independent record label, Controlled Substance Sound Labs today.
