Mitchell Ferguson, the rock ‘n’ roll love child of Chris Cornell and Chris Stapleton with a hint of hip hop, has been on our radar for quite a while now. With each of his singles release as of late, there have quite literally been no misses. Going as far back as “F.Y.S.”, which was released over a year ago, and other singles dropped including “Hurt So Bad”, “Love on the Line”, and “Over It”, there hasn’t been anything even slightly negative to say. Finally, I am happy to say that Ferguson, the condiment king himself, has finally dumped his royal sauce all over his subjects. On September 29th, he released his newest EP, WHOLE LOTTA SAUCE.
First and foremost, one thing you need to know about Mitchell Ferguson is that he is a wild card. You have no idea what you’re going to get with each track on this EP. That’s what makes him so unique and such a force in the scene. Kicking us off is “Hurt So Bad”, a painfully relatable song about complicated love. The melody is straight up ear-worm material, the production is absolutely killer and creates that kick-in-the-face wall of sound that has become a standard for Ferguson, and will be a common theme throughout the EP.
“Love on the Line”, another ear-worm, is a groovy banger that has great riffing with a rhythm section that works together great. Following that is “F.Y.S.”, which is a retro sounding rocker with some grunge riffs. The way Ferguson delivers the verses here show a bit of his hip hop side with the way his cadence is laid down – prepare yourself though, a better example is to come. Before that, however, we get the title track, “Whole Lotta Sauce.” Now, this is a very fun one that is even more fun live. Consider this section of the article a PSA to go check out Mitchell Ferguson live whenever you get the opportunity. The tune is fun, catchy and is fueled 100% by swag.
Ferguson completely unlocks his hip hop side with the next track, “Here for a Minute.” I tell you what, I was pleasantly surprised by this. He pulls this off flawlessly with the autotune, effects and trap beat laid down. His delivery and performance on this just seem effortless – it really shows off his talent. “Over It”, another previously released single that helped get us hype for this EP. The chorus is infectious and is also another grunge influenced rocker. Rounding out the record is “Nowadays”, a bouncy and upbeat track that screams ‘90s alternative. Ferguson’s vocal performance is great as usual, with the pluckiness of the guitar being reminiscent of an old Sugar Ray song.
There you have it; you’ve officially been lost in the sauce. Mitchell Ferguson is going to blow up bigger than ever any time now, and he deserves every bit of it. The uniqueness, freshness and natural talent is too evident to ignore. Technically, since this is an EP, I can’t rank it on 2023’s top albums (I know, I know, but rules are rules), but I can tell you for certain that WHOLE LOTTA SAUCE would be on the top of my list as an honorary entry as of now. Do yourself a big favor and give this release a listen and also do a deep dive into Mitchell Ferguson’s past work!
Cover Photo by Brad Doss.