Greg Wickham - If I Left This World (2017) Lossless

How can a 15-year disappearance from the music business be a good thing for a musician? Greg Wickham may have the answer, and it can be found on If I Left This World. Raised in the Kansas City area on a wide variety of musical influences, Wickham’s music rips through the crossroads of roots rock, country, and Americana. Having shared lead singing and songwriting duties with brother Fred in alt-country’s critically acclaimed Hadacol, Wickham and the band established themselves as vital forces in the alt-country/roots rock music scene with Better Than This (Checkered Past Records) and All in Your Head (Slewfoot Records).

Then he disappeared.

Well, at least from the public eye. But he used the self-imposed hiatus from the spotlight to sharpen his songwriting chops and hone his perspective - the kind of perspective that only another decade-plus of grown-up living can provide. The result is an intensely personal collection of songs written in a universal language. Wickham maintains the furious energy Hadacol was known for, but he’s now equally comfortable in quieter, more reflective moments, both in the studio and on stage.

With the highly anticipated release of If I Left This World, it’s a good bet Wickham won’t be disappearing again anytime soon.

Greil Marcus (Describing Wickham and his Hadacol bandmates): "This is 'Rio Bravo'/Ricky Nelson 'So tough he doesn't have to prove it' country from Missouri."