Route 3’s Just Believe follows up their 2022 collection Losing Time with seven outstanding examples of modern bluegrass. Vocalist/guitarist Jason Jordan penned six tracks, one with mandolin maestro and fellow singer Greg Potter. However, the former’s undeniable stamp on the band’s identity may be initially misleading. Route 3’s newcomers will quickly realize what the band’s existing fans already know – this isn’t a glorified solo vehicle for Jordan but, instead, a collection of sympathetic talents presenting an unified front. Simply put, Route 3 is a band.
The album opener, “Don’t Know What I’ll Do”, makes it apparent. It is a robust song full of clear yearning, but Route 3 states its case invitingly. Fleet-footed instrumental interplay is one of the cornerstone strengths of the opener. Jordan, Potter’s mandolin, and Janice Martin’s banjo share innate chemistry that sparks entertaining musical dialogue. “Don’t Know What I’ll Do” is an outstanding example of their ongoing conversation. Guest fiddler Ron Stewart’s contributions to the steady mid-tempo narrative of “North & South” fill the arrangement with a melancholy and ominous note. Jordan’s history lesson about the War Between the States doesn’t pull its punches.
Slowing things down compared to the rollicking attack of Just Believe’s first cut is an excellent decision. Jordan builds “North & South” so that each of the track’s instrumentalists take brief solos that add to the song rather than striking listeners as needless adornments. They continue with restrained mid-tempo-paced material. “What’s the Difference?”, written by Jordan and Potter, is a song about love falling apart with no obvious remedy. Jordan’s singing conveys the resulting desolation with earnest, heartfelt conviction, and the plaintive qualities of his singing will exert enormous appeal.
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“Your Love is a Miracle” is the album’s shortest track at two and half minutes, but it isn’t a throwaway. It’s the album’s sole cut from an outside writer, but covering Mark Wright’s 1991 hit for country singer Mark Chestnutt is a great choice for Route 3. It’s a cut welcoming to the Arkansas band’s “bluegrassing” while retaining much of the original’s lasting appeal. The album single “Boy from West Virginia” leans heavily on Jordan’s storytelling talents. He tells a familiar tale in an episodic fashion but creates resonant characters who listeners become invested in. It’s a testament to his gifts as a writer. The easy likability of this cut is another essential aspect of its allure.
The title song concludes this release with an emphatic and plain-spoken personal statement. “Just Believe” calls on listeners to put their faith in Christ, citing why they should, without judging those who may not. It doesn’t sacrifice entertaining listeners with another great musical arrangement for the sake of this message. In fact, Route 3 shows excellent artistic instincts for closing the circle by returning to the same up-tempo delivery that characterized Just Believe’s opener. It’s a first-class follow-up to the 2022 breakout release and solidifies Route 3’s position as one of the genre’s most promising acts. There’s ample evidence they will be around for years.
Gwen Waggoner
