Route 3 “Just Believe” (LP) 

Seven songs on Route 3’s new release Just Believe may seem a paltry offering. We live in an age where Bigger is Better, and, as any longtime music listener will note, the standard for what constitutes a full-length album release has drastically changed over the last three-plus decades. By some listener’s estimation, Just Believe is a long EP, not a full-length collection.

It’s semantics. It’s hard to imagine someone who cares about the music laboring even five seconds over concerns about Just Believe’s length.

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Route 3 packs more into these seven songs, individually and collectively, than many bands manage over a dozen tracks. “Don’t Know What I’ll Do” kicks off the release with breezy yet skilled musicianship. Jason Jordan’s classic song of romantic yearning spells out its subject for listeners with pointed conversational skill, and his delivery stays focused and low-key. He eschews any unnecessary theatrics. Route 3’s music has a strong purist slant, without question, but tackles timeless subjects with familiar language. It’s modern, rather than stuck in the past.

The band’s music does occasionally look back. “North & South” is a deceptively ambitious song. Jordan’s attempt to essentially encapsulate the experience of Americans killing other Americans during the nation’s Civil War comes off as convincing. He’s never biting off more than he can chew. He invokes the war through broad strokes of universally-minded imagery virtually any listener will recognize and never sentimentalizes his topic. Fiddle player Ron Stewart’s input into the song is crucial.

Mandolin player Greg Potter co-writes “What’s the Difference” with singer and guitarist Jason Jordan. It’s Just Believe’s darkest moment,  and only the song’s existence lights a candle to dispel the singer’s gloom. However, Route 3 pairs it with an entertaining musical arrangement that helps mitigate the lyrical despair. A surprising high point arrives with the album’s sole cover. Revamping Mark Chestnutt’s 1991 hit “Your Love Is a Miracle” as a joyous bluegrass workout proves to be one of Just Believe’s masterstrokes and seems an obvious choice for both the band’s live performances and future single releases.

“Boy from West Virginia” is Just Believe’s first single. It’s the album’s longest song, clocking in just a hair past the four-minute mark. The song’s expanded reach allows Route 3 to stretch as individual musicians, a band, and storytellers without veering too far afield from their bluegrass core. It’s a success by any measure. Just Believe’s penultimate track “Broken Hearted Fool” is another ode to heartache and lost love. Jordan’s lyrics wisely hinge on specific details, sensory connections, and a straightforward narrative that listeners will want to follow.

The spiritual concerns of the album closer, “Just Believe”, initially surprised me. Nothing in the preceding six songs prepares listeners for the full turn toward religious messaging in this track. However, the song’s themes are bluegrass mainstays, without question, and Route 3 gives the sentiments a genuinely exhortative quality without ever browbeating listeners. It’s a stirring finale. Route 3’s Just Believe is a satisfying achievement that will please new and existing fans alike.

Mark Druery