Indie Music Album Reviews

Aaron Ball Band - Certainties

8/25/2022

Aaron Ball Band

Certainties
self-released; 2022

3.8 out of 5

My Nguyen

Aaron Ball has been busy touring and has gone on to share the stage with such acts like Daughtry, Andy Grammar, The Band Perry, Rob Thomas, Train and Shinedown. With his latest recording Certainties, Ball, who is backed by his full band “the Aaron Ball Band,” are taking on the Rocky Mountain Country Music genres with their own unique take of the aforementioned umbrella: Idaho-country rock. This is Ball’s interpretation of the North American country lifestyle in the shadows of the jagged Rocky Mountains.

Certainties opens up with “Damascus,” where rollicking guitar chord progressions come in on this track. Some synths and percussion also sound out in the background. I thought his sound mixes country and rock n’ roll into one dynamic ball of music. He reminded me of bands like Train, Matchbox 20 and Shinedown. Ball definitely imparts a lot of warmth and feeling into this song.

On the title track “Certainties,” once the music and vocals came in, proved to be an emotional powerful ballad. The sound all came together for an effective vibe.“Bad Decisions” starts off to the sound of some horns. This gave this track a Jamaican and tropical vibe. I was loving this new side to the band that they show. The keys and wonky vibes really gave off a flavorful twist.

Simply to the tune of the acoustic guitar and some organ, the sound is sauntering at first on “Beer Before Whiskey.” The meandering melody builds for a while, feeling very country in vibe. I enjoyed how easy-going the vibes felt here. “Lucky One” felt like another acoustic number. With simply the guitar and percussion, there was tons of mood and feeling on this song. I thought this was an emotionally powerful way to end the album.

What comes across is a dynamic blend of country and rock music found in the ‘90s and ‘00s. I thought his music reminded me a lot of Goo Goo Dolls, Gavin DeGraw and Third Eye Blind. With that being said, I think Ball also brings something unique to the table as well, with his great vocal styles and captivating musicianship on the guitar. The band supporting him also sounds great as well, reeling listeners in with their tight-knit grooves. All in all, this was a shining work from the artist and I hope to see more soon.