The Fearless Hearts - The Fearless Hearts

​The Fearless Hearts

The Fearless Hearts
self-released; 2016

​3.6 out of 5

By Dan Weston

The Fearless Hearts is a group from North Carolina comprised of Don Moody, Frank Gordon and Dave Newton with a couple of special guests. On their debut self-titled EP The Fearless Hearts they play very straightforward American rock that is a mix of popular bands like John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The band plows through familiar tropes that the aforementioned bands established and bands have replicated ever since. Suffice it to say The Fearless Hearts isn't making the most inventive music you will hear this year but the songwriting is solid. The band also treads familiar themes like leaving town, leaving someone, love, etc. that are about as familiar as Grandma's apple pie.

The production and recording quality is decent but could certainly use some improvement and consistency. There are some notable differences between production values on different songs. Take for example “Comes A Time” which if it had a more defined low end would sound close to a commercial quality song while “It Ain't Me” is a couple of dbs lower in volume and sounds closer to a demo. 

Although the songs were bursting with influence they were delivered with precision. The band is tight and I thought the performances were top notch. I have no complaints here and really enjoyed the inflection of the vocals.

The band starts with “Pounding Heart” which is about as American sounding as you can get. It’s catchy, very predictable but good fun. They have some more success with “Comes A Time” and although “Hard To Love” needed to have instrumentation louder in the mix I enjoyed the soulful performance. 

Don’t get me wrong this band has some talent and will be throughly enjoyed at bars and festivals. As soon as that person who was a Tom Petty fan since he was twelve hears this music as he is sipping on his beer he will take notice. He will enjoy the heck out of this music while this is being played live but it might sound too familiar to see a reason why to play this music as opposed to the old classics. My point is that I have no doubt this band can have a lot of local success and get a following to come see them play. If the band has larger goals and wants to reach a national or international audience I think it would behoove them to figure out how to infuse a little more of their own signature sound into the overt Americana style that is familiar to most of the population. It may not be too hard. I’m thinking bagpipes. Kidding aside something a little off-kilter may make them stand out from the crowd. 

​Overall, this is a solid debut which shows some innate talent and builds a foundation. I look forward to hearing the band's evolution.

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