Album Feature – Ottoman Turks – Ottoman Turks

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Sep 132019
 

By Joshua Wallace

I first heard about this band through Joshua Ray Walker whose Wish You Were Here record is still in my heavy rotation after reviewing it back in January.  He is actually the lead guitarist of this country and rock n roll outfit called Ottoman Turks. The rest of this Dallas, TX band is rounded out by Nathan Wells on rhythm guitar and vocals, Paul Hinojo on drums and Billy Law on bass and vocals.  This is one record you’re going to want to go out of your way to check out, here is why.

The album kicks off with a mid tempo number called “Apathy”.  It features Joshua Ray Walker’s slide guitar through the track and it’s a funky mid tempo that is a mix of the fuzzy rock and country music you can expect from the rest of the album.  The next two tracks dig into the yin and yang of this album. “Snake Song” is a fuzzy punk influenced rocker. I really dig Joshua Ray Walker’s solo work on this one and the smooth bass groove that the track strips down to for the last verse.  On the other hand, “Glass Bottles” is a classic country drinking anthem. From it’s sing-along chorus to the twangy guitar work on this track. I dig it.

The track “Red” is a slow almost heavy blues number with growly vocals from Nathan Wells.  As the track kicks into full gear, it morphs into a stoner rock sound that just gets faster and heavier as it goes.  This is one of the heavier tracks on the album. “Beer & Women” brings back some country vibes to the proceedings while still keeping the twangy guitars distorted.  It mixes the two sides of this band quite well in a track that maybe somewhat still leans to country.

This band does a great job of blending their heavy rock influences and their country influences into one cohesive sound.  I can only imagine how crazy the energy at a live show gets and hope to see them live at some point in the future. If you want to check this album out, it is available everywhere you can stream music as of August 23rd, 2019 and I’m sure the band still has some physical copies at live shows.

Favorite Tracks : Apathy, Snake Song, Glass Bottles, Red, Beer & Women, Hands Tied, Mas Amigos

Ottoman Turks – Ottoman Turks (2019)

  1. Apathy
  2. Snake Song
  3. Glass Bottles
  4. My Dog
  5. Red
  6. I Find Myself More Lonesome Every Day
  7. O C P
  8. Can’t Promise Nothin’
  9. Beer & Women
  10. Hands Tied
  11. You’re Only Pretty When You’re Sad
  12. Mas Amigos