JD McPherson discovered his muse later in life than most but on the 40-year-old’s third album “Undivided Heart and Soul” he’s making up for lost time. Expanding beyond the pure rock-a-billy of his previous releases the album has a rootsy rock and roll approach that has plenty of influences and yet manages to sound like no one else.

 

McPherson pushes his vocals more on this album to achieve a wider range of shouting, crooning and singing bringing just the right tone to each song.

He songwriting collaborations with Dan Auerbach, fellow Oklahoman Parker Milsap and Butch Walker bring a more contemporary feel to his songs and the arrangements can, at times, emulate the styles of The Animals, The Black Keys, The Kinks, Amy Winehouse, Squeeze and Link Wray while pulling all those influences into a unique blend that is all his own.

With gritty, hard-rock energy, “Undivided Heart and Soul” is more that the retro groove of his first two albums. This is music that will influence future musicians, not the other way around.

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