It takes time to distill a crooner voice into an appealing raspy tone. Jon Snodgrass has the scars to back the bark in his rootsy whiskey tenor. Being in bands for almost twenty years now, Snodgrass continues perfecting his voice with his solo project. Visitor’s Band stylistically locks into the same vein as other Drag The River records but, of course, it’s Snodgrass calling all the shots. These tracks are also less twangy than the full band efforts. To his appeal, he’s showing no signs of getting any younger, but Snodgrass surely isn’t letting that get in the way of his song craft. He’s already done shows with Joey Cape of Lagwagon to promote his solo stuff and Drag The River has shows scheduled for this summer. With the combination of tireless work and a life devoted to music, Snodgrass knows what nails to leave unhammered in his songs. Surprisingly, he’s able to make alt-country both more accessible and harder edged with this work. “Not That Rad” is a fine mix of rock, country, and pop. Perhaps it’s not rad, but there are eleven fine tunes here. –N.L. Dewart
–guest (Suburban Home)