Austin’s Cosmic Cowboy is saddling up for another long haul; as Jonathan Terrell gears up to release his third record, Westward, he’s dropped one last morsel for us to devour while waiting in the wings. “Never Makes a Sound” is the latest single from Westward and it’s a rip-roaring good time about losing yourself in the search to discover more.
Terrell described the new record as “the stories of all of us” while he’s the vessel, funneling all this celestial energy directly to our ears. Among the many muses guiding him on this journey are Nick Cave, Tom Petty and Bob Seger, each distinctly part of the sonic landscape of Westward and “Never Makes a Sound”, if not without the help of a little Bruce Springsteen.
“Never Makes a Sound” capitalizes on the strength of Terrell’s anthemic storytelling talents and weaves in diligent notes taken from hours spent listening to the masters, even working with some. Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey), Shakey Graves and the Band of Heathens contributed as bandmembers during recording, and “Never Makes a Sound” has the defiant attitude of a confidently-composed classic, something that’s been unearthed as a previously unreleased Born To Run B-side.
Terrell’s aim to be the vessel delivering “the stories of all of us” pushes him to craft premium singalong material in the stadium rock tradition. He channels inspiration from his most recent European tour where he discovered a bigger global fantasy of exploring “The West” than what exists in American folklore. In “Never Makes a Sound”, the theme is explored with tales of searching for freedom “where the desert meets the sea” and dancing with the ghosts of elders through the blinding rain.
“Never Makes a Sound” is a whopper that fits right into Terrell’s catalog while standing out as some of his most extroverted work yet. It hurts a little to imagine what this song might look like played at Red Rocks or another storied outdoor venue; Terrell is far from immune to the state of the world and is releasing his record with a livestream listening party instead of a concert. In the closing refrain, though, he paints an appropriately passionate picture of his own Wild West: “Dry lightning keeps on flashing, but it never makes a sound.”
– Mike Floeck