Rusty Reid’s Piece of the Action sounds like it was made by a man who remembers when rock records came with swagger and cigarette burns, not algorithms and playlists. It’s a big, unapologetic swing at the golden age of guitar music — equal parts Texas grit and Seattle rain — and it’s got the confidence of someone who’s seen every fashion in rock come and go, but never stopped caring about the groove.
Let’s start with the obvious: nineteen songs. Nineteen. That’s not just a long album; that’s an endurance test. There’s enough material here for two LPs, maybe even three if you trimmed the fat. It’s an ambitious move — or a reckless one, depending on how you look at it. The result is something sprawling, occasionally self-indulgent, but often great in its raw, back-to-basics intent.
The opener, “Hot as a Pistol,” sets the tone: raw, lusty, and proud of it. It’s barroom rock with a bit of Southern grease — I did pick up a bit of a beatles vide to the riff, a proper table-setter that does exactly what the title promises. Then “Hurricane” blows in with a classic slower vive, all bluesy licks and confident strut, while “Crossfire” slides into a smoother, radio-friendly space. Reid’s voice has that lived-in rasp — think Petty meets Mellencamp, with a touch of Pacific melancholy.
“Coldhearted” and “Impatient” show off his knack for melody — catchy, unpretentious, and brimming with that heartland-rock sincerity that’s fallen out of fashion but still hits home when it’s done right. “You’re Not the One” drips with old-school bitterness, the kind that only really works when someone’s been around long enough to mean it.
Things start to wobble a little around “Shock Me” and “Excuses.” The riffs are there, but the songs feel like echoes of earlier moments — good ideas stretched thin by the album’s sheer length. “Enough Is Enough” and the title track, “Piece of the Action,” bring the energy back though, bursting with bar-band fire and a welcome shot of attitude. This is the kind of stuff that should be played loud in a dive bar full of people who still believe rock ‘n’ roll can fix things, even for three minutes at a time.
“Calcasieu Sue” and “Only Right Girl” are where Reid’s storytelling chops shine. There’s a folksy charm buried under the classic rock polish — like a Springsteen short story that accidentally put on a pair of cowboy boots. “Me and You” and “Try to Do That to Me” feel like comfortable mid-album strolls, pleasant but maybe one too many for a record already pushing two decades of songs.
“Attitude Change” deserves its own nod — one of the standouts. It’s sharp, punchy, and feels like a mission statement: less nostalgia, more defiance. “Let’s Just Talk” and “How Much More” drift a little close to soft rock territory, but there’s warmth there, an earnestness that keeps it from going stale.
By the time “Edge of the End” rolls around, you can feel the weight of the album catching up — but then “The Way She Does Me” closes things out with a grin and a wink, reminding you that Rusty Reid isn’t trying to reinvent anything. He’s just keeping the flame lit.
There’s a charm to Piece of the Action that’s impossible to fake. It’s not sleek or modern — it doesn’t want to be. This is the sound of a guy who grew up on turntables and tube amps, still chasing the rush of a perfect riff and a killer chorus. It’s nostalgic without being naive, heartfelt without being hokey.
Still, nineteen songs is a mountain, and not every track justifies the climb. A tighter edit could’ve turned this from a good album into a great one. But maybe that’s missing the point — Rusty Reid doesn’t sound like a man who edits himself much. He plays, he writes, he belts it out, and he means every word.
And in a rock landscape full of plastic rebels and recycled riffs, that kind of sincerity — rough edges and all — feels like a shot of the real thing.
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