Song of the Day: Bastards of Soul – “Glass of Ashes”

A joyful and timeless tune, today’s track is taken from the first album of two coming this year after the death of singer Chadwick Murray.

Welcome to Song of the Day, where we bring you all the new local releases you should care about. Highlighting a new North Texas track every weekday, we hope you’ll find something new to love about the rich and bountiful DFW music scene five days a week.

Soul Bastards – “Glass of Ashes”
RIYL: the golden sounds of Stax and Motown
What else do you need to know: Life is never fair, and there are times when it is incredibly unfair. For those who loved the retro-soul of the Bastards of Soul, the unexpected death of frontman Chadwick Murray last year is still a crushing feeling. A former bassist who loved to sing soul and R&B in the shower, Wick was recommended by a bandmate for this fledgling band featuring North Texas scene veterans Danny Balis, Chad Stockslager, Matt Trimble and Chris Holt.

From their fantastic first gig at the Twilite Lounge, they have become one of the hottest bands here. A respectful take on a time when session players from the Motown and Stax stables backed superstars in a live setting, the Bastards of Soul’s stature continued to grow.

Cruelly, Wick passed away as their second LP of originals, Corners, was performed at the Echo Lab. Now that we have two albums slated for release this year, we’ve been able to hear almost five minutes of new material recently. And “Glass of Ashes” is another great entry in their catalog.

A mid-tempo jam from start to finish reminiscent of the joy of legends like Al Green and Brenton Wood, “Glass of Ashes” is beautifully accented by horns and female backing vocals in the chorus. The repeated line of “Can’t stop thinking” goes straight into your head and stays there after the song ends.

Intentionally crafted with a throwback feel, the Bastards of Soul catalog taps into what makes 1960s and 1970s R&B and soul so timeless. The magic happens when you let a group of great musicians play against each other in the same room and inspired by body language.

As sad as we all are for the loss of Wick, hearing such engaging and memorable material is a testament to him and his memory. He put his life in his voice, and that kind of documentation is vital.

Cover photo by Mike Brooks.