With “Piece of the Action,” Rusty Reid revives the kind of rock and roll that feels carved out of smoke-filled bars and neon-lit nights. It’s the second single from his forthcoming double album The Unreasonables, a project that blurs the line between memory and rediscovery. The song is a gritty, swaggering affair that captures the heart of rock in its most primal state—raw, lustful, and completely unbothered by modern polish.
Reid, originally from Texas and now based in the Pacific Northwest, has built a career weaving folk, country, and pop into a reflective sound rooted in storytelling. But The Unreasonables is a sharp left turn from that terrain. Instead of philosophical musings or political undercurrents, he turns his gaze toward the simple chaos of romantic entanglement. “Piece of the Action” thrives on immediacy. It’s not trying to teach you anything—it’s just trying to make you feel something.
The track’s opening guitar lick sets the tone instantly, drawing you into a world that feels both vintage and alive. Rick Poss’s lead guitar work is incendiary, slicing through the rhythm with precision and passion. Reid’s vocals arrive steady and sure, his delivery carrying the sort of confidence that comes from years spent chasing songs across genres. There’s an almost cinematic tension between his voice and the instruments behind it, giving the track a timeless pull.
What makes this release particularly compelling is its origin story. The Unreasonables was first recorded decades ago by a Houston-based group that never released the album. More than forty years later, those songs have resurfaced, dusted off and ready to claim the attention they were always meant to have. That lost-and-found quality gives “Piece of the Action” a ghostly allure, as if you’re hearing a classic track resurrected from a parallel timeline.
In a world saturated with overproduced hooks and algorithm-chasing singles, Rusty Reid’s new work is refreshingly human. “Piece of the Action” doesn’t care about fitting into playlists or trends—it’s a reminder of why rock and roll mattered in the first place. It’s sweat, desire, and a little bit of danger wrapped up in three and a half minutes of sound.
Featured Image: Rusty Reid
