In a gust of pulsating beats and bluesy harmonies that will duel for our hearts across the whole of this single’s running time, “Stone Cold” from harmony makers Old Man Jack kicks into gear ready to please. Anyone within earshot of the song’s opening sonic salvo will feel the urge to synchronize their hips with the drums that greet us here, but they’re far from the lone attention-getter in this seductive song. Pieced together from shards of blues, rock, and soul, “Stone Cold” is a juggernaut of rhythm and textured bassline sensuality that will leave a mark on anyone who listens to it this season. Old Man Jack has never let their fans down, but in this single, they make it all the harder for their competitors to keep pace with their craftsmanship.
BANDCAMP: https://omjhardrock.bandcamp.com/track/stone-cold
No matter how many times I sit down with “Stone Cold,” I always walk away from its melodies feeling as though I’ve just listened to a condensed symphony. There are so many different working parts assaulting us at once in the first half of the track alone, and as we get further along, it seems as though the harmonies – and the beats they’re joined to – grow stronger. The producer is showing off a lot of maturity from behind the glass in this single, and even though I had a lot of big expectations coming into my review of the new Old Man Jack release, I’m pleased to say that his attention to detail exceeded them all by itself.
The swinging groove that we begin with here doesn’t simmer down until we’re closing in on the midsection of the song, but even at this juncture, there’s a sense of urgency guiding all of the players in the studio. The intimacy between the musicians in this single and the material they’re playing together is something to be marveled at, and I don’t get the vibe that it was born of commercial interests at all. There’s too much passion, too much-unadulterated soul in their execution of any given beat, for that to be the case. Old Man Jack can be described in a lot of different ways, but one thing their music doesn’t qualify as is derivative. They hammer out something fresh every time they work together, which I should hope to say for their international counterparts this year.
“Stone Cold” crosses the finish line with a little less gusto than it starts with, but despite its fading into the mist, its throttling rhythm isn’t something listeners will forget as the music concludes. 2024 is producing some of the smartest experimental blues tracks we’ve heard in the last ten years, and on the underground front, this is undisputedly one of the top acts to watch at the moment. For the last minute, Old Man Jack has been coming in and out of the spotlight with releases both decadent and devilishly intoxicating, and in “Stone Cold,” they remind audiences globally that they aren’t folding up shop anytime soon. They’re here for the long haul, and that’s something music buffs should be very grateful for right now.
Garth Thomas