Hell Bent

Somewhere between the acoustic/electric sound of a band like Vertical Horizon and the funk/jazz sound of Jack Johnson is the Florida-based quartet known as One Mile Final. One Mile Final is made up of singer-songwriter and guitarist Brian Spotts, lead guitarist Tim Burke, bassist Chase Collins and drummer Josh Davidson. Because of the band’s ever-changing style and sound, One Mile Final fits as much into Acoustic Rock as it does into Alternative Rock.

The unique backgrounds and influences of the band members help give One Mile Final its rather original musical makeup, which lends itself to the band’s creative mix in their music. Recently, One Mile Final took their various and created a self-titled release that is just as unique as the band’s music itself.

The self-titled release from One Mile Final begins with the track “Hell Bent”. While the name of the track might suggest a Heavy Metal sound to the music, the track actually finds the band creating a song that features the same type of groove and energy as songs written by Jack Johnson. The song features the vocals of Brian Spotts as he seems to embody the same lyrical flow that Johnson is known for. The song also features some harmonica playing that adds just a bit of Blues influence to the music. The powerful electric guitar solo that comes near the end of the song gives just a touch of indication of how good a guitarist Tim Burke actually is.

“Home Base,” the song title of the second track on One Mile Final’s new release, seems to be very apropos for a band that features, not one, but two ex-soldiers in drummer Josh Davidson and bassist Chase Collins. Where the first track features a funk/jazz feel, “Home Base” finds the band exploring a harder Alternative Rock sound. And while the two songs feature different styles, they both feel very natural for the musicians.

Possibly the most unique song on the self-titled release from One Mile Final is “Feeling Good”. The song starts off with a style that features aspects of both Jack Johnson and Vertical Horizon in the music. About halfway in, the band abruptly changes its musical direction to a more Alternative rock sound for a few measures before switching back for the remainder of the track. The two different styles blended together in one track truly show off the talent and ability of the musicians in the group.

It is on the track “Earthquake” that the listener gets to experience perhaps the most commercial track on the 6-song EP. While the groups spends a lot of time creating songs that either have two different styles blended together or songs that have different parts to the music, “Earthquake” is a track where the band creates a straight-forward song that would belong on any Adult Contemporary radio format. Although this release has many strong track, “Earthquake” is easily the one that could win the band some loyal followers.

The pace of the release slows down for the song “Plan for Love”. As the music of this track takes on an almost jazzy feel, it once again shows off the ability of the band to change their style at a moment’s notice. The easy feel of the song all but entices you to grab your special someone and start slow-dancing. With Brian Spotts’ versatile voice, the lyrics of the track are delivered with a warmth and ease that makes the words of the song feel very emotional.

One Mile Final’s six-song self-titled EP comes to a close with the track “I Walked By”. On a song that may remind you of the Uncle Kracker song “In a Little While,” the Adult Contemporary music of the song comes with a slight Country twang.

The self-titled debut release from One Mile Final seems to run the gamut when it comes to musical genres. While staying in a Rock state of mind throughout the six songs, the additions the band made to the music help keep each track sounding different from one song to the next. The unique influences each musician in the band brought to the music help to make One Mile Final a band with limitless potential, and it shows on the band’s debut CD.

Artist: One Mile Final
Album: One Mile Final
Review by Matheson Kamin
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)