Album Review: India Ramey - Villain Era

 

For a slice of honky tonk hedonism, look no further than the latest release by country recording artist India Ramey. VILLAIN ERA takes you on an exotic trip around barrooms, diners, barren wastelands and spots where the tough fight back. Ramey herself hails the album as a no nonsense parade of self worth and the banishment of enforced pleasing others. With a bolt of liberty and brash theatre, ten tracks hail a beatbox of fiery rock ’n’ roll and acutely bonafide traditional country. 

Ramey headed West from Nashville to the LA studio of acclaimed producer Eric Corne with the result a brazen bunch of sounds acting as a conduit from a golden past to a vibrant present. Not a breath or beat is wasted with a narrow template packed to the hilt with a flush of fiddle, steel and rampant guitar. At the heart is a songwriter with a voice and a gutsy performance overflowing with sass. 

Iconic legendary associations and influences will be self-explanatory throughout the active 32-minute running time, The thread of Ramey’s evident talent keeps things intact from sharp writing to vivacious vocals. Tracks jostle for podium places but varying high spots pop up with each spin. ‘Welcome to My Villain Era’ will likely be the pick of many as the exciting tone is set. This followed album opener ‘We Ride At Dawn’ that pitched us straight into a Spaghetti Western soundtrack. You get spoilt by early offerings enhanced by the laid back catchy ‘Scattered and Smothered’ depicting the impish actions of its central character. 

The shade gets a little darker in ‘Six Feet Under’ a trait portrayed in Ramey’s visual persona. You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard ‘Cryin’ in My Lingerie’ before but this is a credit to Ramey capturing the essence of what makes country music such as much-loved genre, namely heartfelt songs, often with a twist and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, worn by every strain of the vocal cord. 

We get intermittent blasts of brass as the album turns its corner in the haunting tones of the Spaghetti Western inspired ‘Nobody’s Calling’. This slips into the vibrant echoes of rockabilly driving the sound to ‘Dead To Me’ complete with an infectious bass beat. A prime example of an adaptive approach pulling together a host of roots strands to form a record right on the mark. ‘Cult Money’ sees Ramey in storytelling mode accompanied by acres of pedal steel. ‘Red Red Roses’ is a prototype classic country composition exposing red flags in a relationship. This just leaves a bout of trajectory comment expressed in ‘Ghost Town’ and understanding that Ramey lamenting the direction of Nashville’s Lower Broadway is a culmination of her musical approach.

VILLAIN ERA polishes the past and presents it as a gift to the future. Any redemptive and cathartic ambitions are fully locked in and boosted by India Ramey channelling everything that drives her as an impassioned musician. Eager ears will cherish an album of embedded integrity taking its architect to another level. Country music in 2026 as pure as you could wish and pitched far and wide to fresh converts and idealistic dreamers.