Cowboy Jamboree Music Review
REBECCA PORTER’S
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES
by Adam Van Winkle
August 8, 2025
I do not say this lightly: Rebecca Porter’s new album, Roll with the Punches, out today, manages to brilliantly merge pure honkytonk with the jangly noir guitar atmospheric sound of some of the best of Tom Waits (think Rain Dogs or “Going Out West”) and Ry Cooder’s Paris, Texas score on a killer set of songs from Porter’s pen.
Orville Peck comes closest to achieving this among Porter’s contemporaries. And I love Orville Peck. I love Rebecca Porter. I’m here for that sound. I’ll take more of it in contemporary country, thank you.
The lyrics herein pull off an equally impressive feat: Porter casts lines that explore inner struggles while looking outward at the same time, finger clearly on important cultural currents.
The opener, “Roll with the Punches (Prelude)” hits like a shot, beginning with the line “God blessed the men who did me wrong too many times" and ending with the line “I rolled with the punches...and I almost died.”
We learn what that means as the album unfolds. The speaker(s) of these songs deals with no good men, strained relationships with parents, domestic abuse, and the struggles of being a single mom while calling to the downtrodden, the underpaid, the marginalized, the gritty and the grinders.
I’m a lyrics guy. Some of my favorites herein:
At a time when there is a war on the poor and the marginalized Porter has crafted a brave album with songs that cast a reproachful, even vengeful, eye on them that take and keep power on the backs of others. It happens on a personal level, it happens on systemic level. And the speaker in these songs seems damned determined to come out ahead, no matter the struggle. As she sings on "No Evil," "my existence cannot be erased." I’m rooting for her. I believe, like she does, that they’re bound to fall.
Oh, and Porter has an absolutely classic country voice that can stand next to the greats, right down the line.
In other words, there’s a lot to soak up here. Take the plunge. Immerse yourself. ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES and Rebecca Porter.
Obviously get the vinyl, get the CD, support the artist to the max. You can listen now to Roll with the Punches however you stream music: https://vyd.co/RollWithThePunches
REBECCA PORTER’S
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES
by Adam Van Winkle
August 8, 2025
I do not say this lightly: Rebecca Porter’s new album, Roll with the Punches, out today, manages to brilliantly merge pure honkytonk with the jangly noir guitar atmospheric sound of some of the best of Tom Waits (think Rain Dogs or “Going Out West”) and Ry Cooder’s Paris, Texas score on a killer set of songs from Porter’s pen.
Orville Peck comes closest to achieving this among Porter’s contemporaries. And I love Orville Peck. I love Rebecca Porter. I’m here for that sound. I’ll take more of it in contemporary country, thank you.
The lyrics herein pull off an equally impressive feat: Porter casts lines that explore inner struggles while looking outward at the same time, finger clearly on important cultural currents.
The opener, “Roll with the Punches (Prelude)” hits like a shot, beginning with the line “God blessed the men who did me wrong too many times" and ending with the line “I rolled with the punches...and I almost died.”
We learn what that means as the album unfolds. The speaker(s) of these songs deals with no good men, strained relationships with parents, domestic abuse, and the struggles of being a single mom while calling to the downtrodden, the underpaid, the marginalized, the gritty and the grinders.
I’m a lyrics guy. Some of my favorites herein:
- “Pay out now, payback later/What could go wrong?” from “Payday Loans”
- “Are you robbing Peter to pay Paul/Leaving a trail of little white lies/One more drink might not kill you/Maybe not tonight” from “The Devil”
- “A flash flood that started with a drop of rain” from “Let Me Go”
- “Don’t promise me the mountain with no dirt on your hands/Don’t build me a house on stolen land” from “The Mountain”
At a time when there is a war on the poor and the marginalized Porter has crafted a brave album with songs that cast a reproachful, even vengeful, eye on them that take and keep power on the backs of others. It happens on a personal level, it happens on systemic level. And the speaker in these songs seems damned determined to come out ahead, no matter the struggle. As she sings on "No Evil," "my existence cannot be erased." I’m rooting for her. I believe, like she does, that they’re bound to fall.
Oh, and Porter has an absolutely classic country voice that can stand next to the greats, right down the line.
In other words, there’s a lot to soak up here. Take the plunge. Immerse yourself. ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES and Rebecca Porter.
Obviously get the vinyl, get the CD, support the artist to the max. You can listen now to Roll with the Punches however you stream music: https://vyd.co/RollWithThePunches
Photo Credit: Heather Goodloe, Grow Explore Photography