Wille And The Bandits are one of those bands I always feel the need to keep up with. The songwriting genius of frontman Wille Edwards can not be overlooked and, in my opinion, they’re the most exciting rock band to break out of the UK’s illustrious southern rock scene. Their mix of southern boogie, hard rock, blues and country, all brought together in that jam-band style, makes them a specific delight to my ears; a boy who grew up on rock, blues and country music. I knew that the guys were working on new music after speaking with Wille last year, and I promised myself that I’d talk about the album when it came out. I’m a little behind that promise to myself, but I’m getting around to it now. I have been listening to this album quite a bit, and I’ve been enjoying myself. The new album, Salt Roots, is an ideal example of why this style of music will just never die out. The production is fun, the songwriting is intriguing to take in, and it’s just one of those albums you need to throw on just to get it. I’ve not done a proper deep dive into one of their albums before, so why not now?
The album does such a good job of bouncing around the various sounds that Wille knows how to execute. From the hard edge rock of tracks like “King Kong”, to the funk sounds of “Style Thing” and to the more soulful singer-songwriter style songs like “Take My Shoulder”. The way the band can contort and morph to fit the mood and nature of the individual tracks. All while refusing to be pigeonholed into a specific category of rock. It really speaks volumes about the talent and flexibility of the whole band. I love how they manage to take their generally jam-band feel and condense the experience into the runtime of this record: infectious riffs, soulful vocals, and captivating grooves. Take any point of the album, and you can just feel the vibes. It’s almost like being at a jam night where everyone is on their A-game, and everyone is feeling the mood and jumping in at various points. What I’m trying to get at is that this is a really well put-together record. I’d love to hear some of these jams live at some point as I know what these guys can do on stage.
By the time I got to “Sail Away (The Mayflower)”, I was already so invested in this record that anything could have come on. However, those sweet dulcet opening notes brought on a lot of emotions. The melancholy song uses the idea of being lost at sea as a metaphor for being lost in life after loss, or at least that was my interpretation. It’s a beautifully bittersweet track that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It acts as a great counterbalance to the heavier songs on the record like “Wheal Jane” and “Trouble Around The Bend”. This is what I find magical about this band. The way they can navigate between all the emotions and find a way to say it in song.
I can definitely understand people who aren’t into this kind of music. The bluesier tracks might be enough to be a bit of a turn-off. I know people who just can’t bring themselves to get into it because, well, rock and blues can be a little self-indulgent at times. Also, I think detractors may find the softer ballads a little too, well, mopey. I myself enjoy this kind of music for those reasons. When a rock band is in full swing and the members are just able to let loose all over the track, that’s when I get really interested. When the emotional ballads play, I get lost in the storytelling in the lyrics. I get why people don’t like it… It just doesn’t bother me in particular. I’m sure that the people who love this style of music don’t mind either.
The production of this album is spectacular. I felt it immediately like a tonne of bricks as soon as the opening atmosphere and heavy riff thundered out of my speakers with the first single and opening track, “Wheal Jane”, kicked into gear. What an opener, and the album just took off from there. As I said, the production is immaculate with every single instrument firing on all cylinders, to use the journalistic press terminology. The album has a spectacular sonic scope as it opens up, and the music is left to breathe. The different range of instrumentation is always a treat. The signature style of Wille and the Bandits is that classic rootsy slide guitar. Which adds that little extra flair to the overall sound.
This might be my favourite album of the year so far, and might be a contender for my year-end list. This album is a spectacular feat of rock music majesty. I am so happy this album came together the way it did. This has been the album I was most looking forward to in 2026, and I’m happy to report that Wille and the Bandits have not let me down in the slightest. The album is a fantastic melting pot of genre, style and flair. The lyrics are emotionally evocative and powerful, the sound is punchy, and it gave me that feeling of a good night out at a rock show. Trust me when I recommend this album to you. Even if it’s only the style of songs you enjoy, I do feel there is something on this album for any fan of music.
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