The Wreckage

In August of 2008 Will Hoge was hit by a van while leaving the Nashville studio where this very album was being recorded. Hoge was listed in critical condition after breaking his ribs, sternum, kneecaps, femur and shoulder blades. But not even a near-death accident could keep him from singing about the silver linings. The Wreckage is alive and bouncing with uplifting Americana — the kind you’d expect from a Tom Petty album, though the jubilant “Hard to Love” sets the tone with more of a vintage Springsteen vibe, replete with bells on the chorus à la “Born to Run.” The driving and rootsy “Long Gone” rocks and twangs like a Mudcrutch gem and even the more melancholic numbers like the title track are hoisted by lyrics that choose to abandon doubt and fear for hope and love. The autobiographical “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” is equally catchy and inspiring as it narrates Hoge’s childhood addiction to music and the hard road he chose to spend his life on, offering sound advice: “Keep on dreaming/ Even if it breaks your heart.”