Americana star Chuck Leah is back with a brand new album, Road To Medicine Bow. This work, released in August ‘25, marks the artist’s fifth studio album, following 2023’s Lolo Montana. And the country king sticks to his guns, expanding his back catalogue of Wild West-inspired tunes while topping his own potential with this refreshing seven-track collection.
Chuck’s title track kicks things off with a smoky feeling, his self-described “rough-hewn” vocals stirring an ambience akin to desert bliss, watching dust bowls whirl beneath the sweltering sun from a cool spot of shade.
There’s something extraordinarily Breaking Bad about Chuck’s sound – cutting, gritty yet soaked in an emotional power that could stir the hardest man back to heartfelt feeling. Yet his vocals seem laced with wisdom, the elder musician weaving meaningful stories within his lyrics which keep you gripped and floored.
Homa Hills invites the tones of a clean, country ballad, his acoustic soundscape lined with fiddles whilst featuring a chorus that could top the charts. It’s the sort of song you can melt away to as the sun dips below the skyline, with Chuck carrying this poignant atmosphere throughout the entirety of his new LP.
Chuck’s sound is settled in the vintage, but within his old-school take, astoundingly modern elements shine bright and bold, from the record’s flawless production to his hypnotic twists on his genre’s cliches. It’s original, authentic, and masterfully inspired for a man of Chuck’s age, snatching multiple influences from across the decades of country, pop and rock while blending these with soulful turns and bluesy highlights.
Even if country ranks far from your preferred genres, Road To Medicine Bow holds the potential to shake up your opinion for good, being a complete breath of fresh air for the genre. The song Broke Foot Blues lightly verges on Led Zeppelin or Johnny B. Goode, Matter Of Time carries a vibe almost akin to Amy Winehouse but with vivid Americana overtones, while the album-closer, My Beat Up Truck, returns to fully-fledged country with a soft, swansong edge. There’s truly a track here for everyone, with more highlights than can be counted.
Our verdict: Highly recommended.
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