Review: James Bruner’s album ‘Can’t Keep Wanting You’

Album Review

James Bruner - Photo Credit: Elijah Settles

By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night Amsterdam

Review: James Bruner – Can’t Keep Wanting You – Release date: September 4, 2026

Some rock critics/reviewers are trying to be a bit too cute (or ironic?) calling what is now dubbed as classic rock as ‘old fashioned rock.’ Yet, whether a certain genre got its shape or form decades ago is not the key question here, ii is whether such music has its merits today. Judging by the number of fans (and not only those of a certain age) and even more importantly, the quality of the music created within classic rock, there’s definitely merit there.

Oh, and there is quite a number of young rockers that like making such sounds and are quite  good at it, whether they strictly stick to the ‘old’ sounds or they decide to add bits and pieces of something newer. Add to that list Nashville via Illinois rocker James Bruner, who at the age of 25 just released his debut album Can’t Keep Wanting You.

Yes, the sounds Bruner comes up with here have all the hallmarks of a classic rock sound, with a bits and pieces, or more precisely, touches of more current rock and pop trends, but there is a more important thing to point out here – Bruner has that songwriting touch to make all that work so well, all coupled with a very good personal performance and some shining and spanking clear playing and production throughout the 12 tracks here, and it all works and sounds oh, so well.

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Ljubinko Zivkovic