BB & The Bullets

Wrong Side Of The River

Overton Music

New Zealand guitarist and lead vocalist Brian Baker, finally home from Australia, wasted no time making his mark on the New Zealand music scene, joining forces with Stu Duncan on bass and backing vocals and Brad McMillan on drums and backing vocals. Wrong Side of the River is the follow-up to their debut album, 2025’s High Tide. This time BB & the Bullets focus on original tracks and include just one carefully selected cover. All of the originals are written by Baker. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Baker at Nixon Street Recordings in Whanganui, New Zealand, and mastered by David Briggs at the Production Workshop in Melbourne, Australia.

The blues-rock power trio open with the hard-driving mystery of “Midnight Rider,” staring darkly into the future as they sing, “Coming around the bend, is this the way my life’s gonna end, midnight rider, you’re coming way too fast, now I know my life wasn’t meant to last.” On the jazzier “Wild Honey,” Baker sings up front as he chimes, “When I’m sad and lonely, and feeling hazy blue, one thing can make me smile, and that’s a little taste of you, wild honey, you sure taste good.”

On the cryptic trance-like groove of “Freak Show,” the band pulls you in as they chant, “There’s a face in the mirror don’t believe it’s mine, there’s tears dripping down the laughter lines…nothing gonna shut this freak show down.” The title track, “Wrong Side of the River,” is a slow, passionate anthem of unreachable love as they cry, “We got different lives, so from my point of view, I’m on the wrong side of the river from you…can you hear me callin’ from across the water, ’cause I’m on the wrong side of the river from you.”

“Get a Little Real” creates a tapestry of vocals and lyrical guitar from Baker as he talks of his relationship: “Her attitude just tells me, let’s see your truth show through your actions boy, let’s get a little real. Get a little real.” Then the Bullets explode into Peter Green’s 1969 Fleetwood Mac classic “Oh Well,” with razor-sharp guitar and furious drumming, as they howl, “I can’t help about the shape I’m in, I can’t sing I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin. but don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to.” A satisfied laugh at the song’s end captures the sheer joy of the moment.

On the hypnotic self-reflection of “Sometimes You Lose Yourself,” they wail, “Sometimes you lose yourself, sometimes you lose everything else.” On the apocalyptic prophecy of “Black Crow,” with its driving beat, they belt out, “Black crows coming down…there’s no escape when the black crow comes, that bird wants meat and all you’ve got is crumbs.”

“The Buddha Song” features Baker’s stinging guitar as he eloquently bursts, “I know for sure, hatred is never conquered by hatred, but is overthrown by love alone.” On the catchy “She Knows,” Baker, always the last to know, chirps, “She’s a leg and a foot out the door, but he never saw it coming, no he never saw it coming, now he’s smoking on the floor, she knows what she knows and it’s frightening.” On the closer, “Crawl Right In,” Baker croons, “Open up my heart now honey and crawl right in, I don’t know where you come from, I don’t care where you been.”

BB & the Bullets conjure up evocative tales that highlight their energetic intensity on Wrong Side of the River. Join the crowd and cheer them on! This is highly recommended listening.

Richard Ludmerer

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