It's not uncommon to hear a band say that they "went into the studio with about one hundred songs" for their new album and had to pick out the top ten. This is by-in-large hyperbole. What the band is most likely trying to say is that they had one hundred "ideas" for songs, or song fragments, bumping around in notebooks or recorded memos somewhere. This sort of "exaggeration for effect" is common in music circles. But in some select cases, this sort of abundance of material is literal. The late Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers shelved albums worth of material each time they recorded, giving their record companies years of new product to sift through after the artist is (tragically) gone. Other artists, like Bear Rhinehart (of Needtobreathe and Wilder Woods), write so many songs that one band cannot contain all the work. Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson likewise write a song a day and have vaults full of songs and albums that will likely be mined for release for years to come.

Stately Nashville gentleman songwriter Drew Holcomb and his band The Neighbors really did write too much material for their last album, the fine Strangers No More, and with fan feedback in hand, have returned with a second volume of songs from that same time. This is a wonderful treat for fans and a (hopeful) nudge in the right direction for artists out there who put out an eight-song album every four years or so.

But the salient question here, of course, is "are these extra songs worth the fuss?" And in the case of Strangers No More Vol. 2, the answer is most definitely "yes." Opening with the old-school country music shuffle of "Green Light" (featuring the legendary Vince Gill, who's as close to Nashville music royalty as you can get), Holcomb narrates an easy-going love song to his wife, Ellie: "My baby, she's a green light / Ain't never seen a stop sign / Umbrella in a rainstorm / Cup of coffee when the morning comes / She's a chorus of my favorite song / Smiles when I get the words wrong / Wildflower on the sunny side / My baby, she's a green light."

Second song "Soul's A Camera" asks the poignant existential questions "Are we ever alone? / Do we ever go home?" while the barn-burning, rocking electric guitars of third track "Suffering" asks the BIG questions of suffering and misfortune in the world.

There is a B-sides feel here in that, while the songs are terrific, each in their own way (with feels that travel from classic country music to the aforementioned Petty and Springsteen), there isn't a particular unifying tone here. But that's to be expected, and if you approach Stranges No More Vol. 2 with an open mind and thankfulness for more music from these hard-working fellows, you will have a great time discovering what a good work ethic and sense of artistry can bring.

- Review date: 9/18/24, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com