After twenty years as a Rhode Island state correctional officer, outlaw artist Mickey Lamantia has released his highly anticipated first full-length album.
Outlaw Country singer/songwriter Mickey Lamantia’s latest album Every Bad Habit is everything his fans have been anticipating. It contains all the elements of traditional country music, patriotism, whiskey, family, and firearms. Lamantia has carved his own path in the industry as a completely independent and has no interest in esoteric arguments about the word “outlaw.” It is a subgenre he is happy to be branded with and there is no confusion that it is where he belongs as an artist. Last summer, Lamantia played the Tumbleweed Outlaw Music Festival in Kansas City with other big name desperados like Jamey Johnson, Cody Jinks, and Billy Joe Shaver. His Facebook show, “Whiskey Wednesdays,” is sponsored by Sons of Liberty Whiskey Co. and gets up to 20,000 views per show.
Lamantia opens his first full-length album with “6 Cans”, an idyllic song about the simplicity of life together without material riches. Lamantia has a weighty, dark voice that grasps attention while the music itself stays soft. It has the old school romance of a George Strait song but with a sweet, modern sound. “Every Bad Habit” pays homage to the legends of the past and all of their sinful vices. He gets more vulnerable with “How Do I Say Goodbye”, a song about losing a loving parent. But, the signature piece for Lamantia is probably “Outlaw Life” and not because he is glamourizing a particular lifestyle. He has worked as a prison guard for the state of Rhode Island for twenty years and has seen first hand where bad decisions and simple mistakes can take a man. His perspective on the subject is raw and he sings it with complete sincerity. Songs like “The ATF Song” and “Take Our Country Back” take a definite stance on the right side of the fence but whether one agrees with his politics or not, they are fun drinking songs and very well written.
Lamantia does hangover sorrow with the best of them and chooses to wrap up his album with “When I Get On a Roll” and “Whiskey On My Breath”, both of which contain the good, the bad and the ugly of alcohol. Though he is an avid fan of the substance, some of his best stuff seems to come from the next day’s regret, where a lot of good art is born.
Every Bad Habit is a great country record with high production value. It can be found on iTunes, Spotify or through Mickey Lamantia’s Facebook page.
Mickey Lamantia
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