Perhaps the most amazing fact about Weapons Of Beauty is that it is the debut solo album from Jay Buchanan. The Rival Sons singer has been a staple in the rock scene for over 17 years, and it is a surprise that he has not produced such work before. But now, the time is right.
Jay Buchanan – Weapons Of Beauty
Release Date: 6 February 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
Rival Sons, the California-based, double GRAMMY®-nominated rock’ n’ roll band, have moved up the ladder during their career, now comfortable headlining theatres on their own, happy to sit as support to the likes of Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC. A far cry from the early days when I first saw them on an incongruous bill, first on before Queensrÿche and Judas Priest at Newport Centre 14 years ago.
Weapons Of Beauty utilises the best piece of Buchanan’s arsenal, his phenomenal voice. When you see him on stage with Roval Sons, he is a cocksure rock star, barefoot, chest open in his trademark flamboyant suits. Here he is much more intimate, deeply introspective and at times vulnerable.
The romantic in him surfaces, and with a passion that few can bring, Weapons Of Beauty is just that. Rarely has an album been so aptly named.
Crafted in unusual circumstances, Jay Buchanan apparently spent time in a bunker in the Mojave Desert, near abandoned gold mines and surrounded at night by a landscape that has seeped into the very heart of the songs.
“I turn on my headlamp, and I shined it out there. I could see the reflections of two or three pairs of eyes. Coyotes, just watching me by the fire. These centuries of their kind watching mine, out here doing the same thing. That’s when (the song) High And Lonesome began to come to me.”
A storyteller in every way, Buchanan’s debut is a richly mined collection of songs that are soaked with emotion, passion and personal reflections. He drills the very depths of his life, presenting intimacy on songs like Sway, written for his wife. “I want you now, while we’re still young, and I want you old.” As she recovers from cancer, Buchanan is rightly focused on her recovery. We wish them well.
As Jay Buchanan admits, the music here is cinematic. Indeed, this could be a glorious film soundtrack. “I knew that I wanted the album to have a very cinematic, wide-lensed landscape,” he says. “For the music to have this scenic quality of the America I’ve seen over these decades of touring.
“This landscape of lonesome sunsets and big-clouded skies, silhouetted by our dreams and failures. I wanted it to be open in this way, with no stacking of characters or frequencies. No one is there just taking up space, each voice part of a small ensemble cast, like a stage play.”
Each song here is beautifully crafted, reflecting the influences of soul, blues, Americana and country. There is no urgency. The music flows and complements Buchanan’s voice. Songs like The Great Divide with its brooding arrangement, see Jay Buchanan at his finest. It is a track I have read compared to a lost Fleetwood Mac or Tom Petty song, and it is hard to argue with the comparison.
Opener Caroline sees Buchanan at his most vulnerable, gorgeous slide work that shimmers in the background, enhancing the tenderness and melancholic side of the song. It is a beautiful opening song despite the sorrow etched deep in the lyrics.
Whilst we may know Jay Buchanan for his stomping rock with Rival Sons, it is clear listening to Weapons Of Beauty that he is as comfortable here as he is on a huge stage.
Tumbleweed is more of a road song, a chugging travel companion. A story which brings a view through the window of another relationship and the struggles that accompany it. It is here that Buchanan is at his most emotive, powerful, and compelling.
Deep Swimming brings with it a vibrant drum beat and echoes of some of Robert Plant’s more eclectic work, which is alright by me. It is gloriously addictive, enchanting and just oozes class and charm.
Produced by longtime collaborator and Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), Weapons Of Beauty features additional contributions from Brian Allen (bass), Chris Powell (drums), Leroy Powell (guitar), J.D. Simo (guitar) and Philip Towns (keys). American realist painter Jeremy Lipking adds his creativity with the cover painting in perfect companion to the album’s romantic take on the American landscape.
Weapons Of Beauty is the album that fans worldwide have waited a long time to hear. For those devotees to Buchanan, it is likely to hit every spot. For those less focused, it should be nothing short of stunning.
From Caroline through to the piano-led finale of the title track, Weapons Of Beauty hits you right in the feels. I was shaking at times, such was its impact.
It has taken a while to get here, but now Buchanan has proved that the wait was worth every second. Absorb it, for this is an album from an artist who refused to be categorised.
“I am weaponising the most beautiful things I can imagine in the very same way and aiming them directly at the abyss. I can do this because these Weapons Of Beauty are inexhaustible. Hope is a quiet rebellion, but it edifies. I’m here to amplify.”
Jay Buchanan releases Weapons Of Beauty on 6 February 2026. Formats include CD (4-panel Digipak with 8-panel poster), standard black vinyl (gatefold jacket with gold foil and printed inner sleeve), and a D2C exclusive Mojave marble vinyl with an autographed photo while supplies last. Pre-orders are available from 30tgrs.ffm.to/weaponsofbeauty.
To support the album’s release, Buchanan will embark on a short run of special shows in Nashville, London and Paris. Tickets are available from WeaponsOfBeauty.com.
