Wyatt Flores: Strumming Through 'Life Lessons' - Album Review

Wyatt Flores beams out from the heart of country's firmament with his deeply personal "Life Lessons," unfurling a collection of songs that mirrors life's challenging path. Released on November 17, 2023, this seven-song EP is Flores at his most unguarded, delivering a heartfelt narrative with the kind of introspective savvy and tuneful craft that unearths the truth behind the melody.

Kicking things off is "Orange Bottles," where Flores doesn't pull any punches. He peeks into the darkest alleys of addiction and mental health struggles, packing an emotional wallop that hits home hard. Flores doesn't just sing; he testifies, with lyrics that bear the marks of lived experience: "Empty orange bottles and dirty white pills / Scattered on the floor of cheap hotels / Mold in the bottom of my coffee cup / Somehow I still gotta wake up."

His gravel-tinged vocals conjure clear images of the struggle, of mornings where waking up is both a victory and defeat. And yet, by the third verse, there’s a shift, a widening of the lens to encapsulate the eyes of judgment he feels upon him: "Room full of eyes I've never seen / Staring like a deer in the high beams / Tell me I'm nothing with your dirty looks / Judge me by the cover, throw away the book."

The pathos in his query—"‘Cause it's so hard to keep my head up feeling like I'm out on the run / Yeah, who am I kidding? Who have I become?"—encapsulates the weary resolve of someone battling demons in full view of an often unsympathetic audience.

The EP's rabble-rousing title track, "Life Lessons," takes the baton with stomping rhythms and anthemic choruses, all while dispensing nuggets of wisdom like a seasoned sage: "I'm takin' life lessons... / No, I ain't no preacher, but there ain't no better teacher / Than a big old slice of a humble pie / On the road to life to find what I've been missing." The chorus feels familiar and fresh.

In "Wildcat," Wyatt Flores reflects on his high school experience as a mascot, contrasting his role with the celebrated athletes. The lyrics, "In the night the grass was bright / It was small town Friday night lights," set the scene, while "But everyone knew me as the biggest pussy on the field" highlights the bullying he faced. The chorus, "Cause I was 6 foot 5, soft on the outside," underscores his emotional journey. Flores' story of self-acceptance, captured in "Hey, I was the wildcat in town," turns the song into a personal memoir about embracing one's true self.

"3/13" reveals the melancholic strains, where steel guitars weep and human stories unfold. It’s the kind of song you'd find echoing on a dusty bar jukebox with layers of longing and nostalgia woven through each mournful note. His confessional lyrics reel us into the restless nights of a man caught up in the whirlwind of local fame and its trappings: "Well, it's been three days of running 'round / Closing every bar in Oklahoma down / And I promised I'd reach out before the show / But the truth is I'm too drunk to even know."

Later, a raw admission aches with real regret: "Hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me after all / Oh, I'm sorry, you were my last call."

"West of Tulsa" anchors the EP with a grounded Americana feel, transporting us to the heartland with tales as rich as the soil, nodding to Flores's Oklahoma roots.

In "Holes," Flores delves deep into the personal psyche, crafting a song that's intimate and thought-provoking, examining the voids and valleys that shape us, and capturing the solace and solitude of soul-searching.

"Astronaut" concludes the saga with introspective candor, revealing the man behind the music. Flores brings to bear his shortcomings and dreams with a raw declaration and a sense of bravado that's equally admirable and relatable: "I ain't no astronaut, been a lot of things that I'm not / One of those things was being made for you / I've been scared my whole damn life, holding on and I don't know why / This ship full of dynamite better get me to the fucking moon."

The chorus blasts off with a surge of defiance that's electric and raw, yet beneath it all lies the ultimate vulnerability in admitting one's mortal reach for celestial dreams: "Yeah, I'm blasting off in the night / Waving my hand and saying goodbye to the sky of blue / Sparks coming out the back, something's telling me to eject / But I got nothing to lose / Houston, we may have a problem / 'Cause I'm up here, I ain't falling just for you / 'Cause pretty soon, I’ll be the man on the moon / If I can land this rocket ship made of holes and glue."

With compelling storytelling and an innate ability to capture the essence of the human spirit, "Life Lessons" is a significant addition to the country music landscape. It earns a robust 8.5 out of 10, not merely for its musical excellence but for its authenticity and the depth of its emotional engagement. This EP is a bold declaration of Wyatt Flores's arrival in the world of country music, showcasing his ability to strike a chord with the universal human experience.

"Life Lessons" Tracklist:

1. Orange Bottles
2. Life Lessons
3. Wildcat
4. 3/13
5. West Of Tulsa
6. Holes
7. Astronaut