The Deslondes’ Riley Downing Brings Timeless Voice to Current Moment on ‘Start It Over’
Chuck Armstrong
Posted On May 13, 2021
To simply call his voice deep or gruff doesn’t do it justice.
What emanates from Riley Downing’s vocal cords is a timeless reverberation, one that is soaked in the long, laboring days of a Midwestern life; the voice not of a god, but of a man working day in and day out to leave the world in a bit better shape than it once was. This truth is all over Downing’s debut solo record, Start It Over, and while it’s hard to place the album in any one genre — it beautifully explores every nook and cranny of Americana, soul, country, rock, and blues — his inimitable voice is the common thread that binds it all together.
But that thread is not alone, as Downing invited several friends into the process of creating this album. Jeff Taylor’s beautiful work on the piano and Meg Coleman’s rhythm on drums open Start It Over, helping make “I’m Not Ready” an instant classic. While some artists may want the opening track of their debut solo LP to be all about them, Downing immediately ushers in the background vocals of Kyshona Armstrong, Maureen Murphy, and Nickie Conley to help set the foundation for the rest of the record. “I’m not ready,” they sing, passing it to Downing to finish, “as you’ll ever be. Everybody’s rushin’, I’m moving’ at my own speed.”
Downing stays focused on his own speed and no one else’s. “Deep Breath” will no doubt turn into an anthem for 2021 with Downing singing, over a steady, bluesy pulse, “Take a deep breath, it’s gonna be alright.”
Then, with the help of artists like JJ Tourville of Downing’s other band, The Deslondes, Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs, and Peter Keys of P-Funk and Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Good to See Ya” speaks to the current emotions so many are feeling as well; after months and months of quarantine, restrictions, masks, and uncertainty, Downing lays out the simple, yet immensely hopeful chorus: “It’s good to see ya, well, it’s good to be seen.”
No matter how well Start It Over fits into the current realities of the world — and it does — Downing’s voice and lyrics will continue speaking for generations to come, and in one way or another, will keep conjuring memories of bygone eras.
