Kurt Deemer - Reclaim The Night (2022)

The new LP features Kurt on vocals, guitar and harmonica. On ‘Reclaim The Night,’ Deemer stamps a hefty dose of personality on his rocking Americana influences. Kurt Deemer might turn out to be one of the unsung heroes of modern Americana. Throughout his recorded output, and particularly on his latest project, ‘Reclaim The Night,’ Deemer show what it is like when you are exposed to the likes of Tom Petty (guitar sound), The Replacements (latter-day melodic stage), and Warren Zevon (vocal delivery).

The key question is, of course, whether you just have a good taste in music, or can you meld all your influences onto something meaningful and personal, i.e., giving it a stamp of individuality to take it at least one step above good copycats.

Actually, Deemer takes it more than just one step beyond. He is able to go beyond the apparent copy/paste process many musicians are stuck in when their influences are stronger than their own personalities. On tracks like ‘Sweetness and Light’ or ‘Weeds,’ Deemer is able to tilt his take of rock to Americana enough to intrigue even those listeners that prefer their genres more straightforward, whatever that should sound like.

Lyrically, Deemer shows that he has the social consciousness possibly picked up from another great artist straddling the Americana/rock fence – Bruce Springsteen, and the influence, of course, crops up in the music too. For all the good reasons. This time around, that social element in the lyrics is filled with solid gulps of optimism, and we certainly need some optimism these days.