Bywater Call – How Long – Single Review – noblepr

Review By Darren McIntyre

Bywater Call are a powerhouse 7-piece southern soul, roots rock band from Toronto, Canada. In 2023 the band played 96 shows in 10 countries, 89 cities, 19 US states & 3 Canadian provinces and performed a live stream for the famed German TV show Pockpalast. They have performed on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive cruise; Meghan & Dave opened for Southern California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck on their sold-out European tour. The band brought us their first new release of 2024 in the form of Holler and followed that with As If, Everybody Knows, & Sweet Maria from their incredible album Shepherd. The band released a live album, Sunshine, that propelled them into new territory and brought them a legion of new fans. The band received a UK Blues Award for International Act Of The Year and continue where they left off by bringing us their blistering new single How Long, which I will be reviewing for you today.

How Long – A cool, solid snare drum kick flows freely through the intro as Dave lets a mellow guitar fill bring this incredible track to life as the dark, brooding bassline wraps itself around this fantastic arrangement. Meghan leans in and lets her sultry, blues-soaked vocals lift this track to another level as the brass section gives the track a real soulful feel as the band just tells their own story as we feel the emotion pour from this fantastic piece. The rhythm section is controlling the direction that this track takes as the cymbal snaps really let the groove roll as the snare punches elevate this incredible track to another level. The sweet, soulful guitar picks take us to somewhere new as the band really digs deep and fires on all cylinders as this toe-tapping, melodic track wraps itself around us and really lets us feel the depth, tone and sweet lyrics do their thing. Every time this band releases a new track, there is a real air of excitement as you feel that they can do no wrong as they deliver a real powerful, thought-provoking piece that just stops you in your tracks as the mesmerising lyrics really catch you off guard as they deliver a magnificent slab of blues-rock ballad that will have you reaching for the repeat button for sure.

Bywater Call –

                      Meghan Parnell – Vocals

                      Dave Barnes – Guitars

                      Mike Meusel – Bass

                      Andrew Moljgun – Keys

                      Stephen Dyte – Trumpet

                      Julian Nalli – Tenor Sax

                      Bruce McCarthy – Drums

Track Listing –

                      How Long