The R Train builds their sound the old-fashioned way, three players in a room, and their new single “Mariah” sticks with that approach.
There is a particular kind of rock band that trusts the room to do the work. No backing tracks propping up the chorus, no studio trickery standing in for chemistry, just guitar, bass and drums locked into a groove. The R Train is one of those bands, and on their new single “Mariah” they lean all the way into it.
The trio calls their lane the new wave of classic rock, and the label fits. Their sound reaches back to the arena era that shaped them while keeping a modern edge. The playing has the fluid, blues-rooted feel of Jimi Hendrix. It is riff-driven rock built on powerful drums, moving basslines, and a searing guitar, delivered with a loud and proud presence and grooves you can actually dance to.
Roots That Run Back Decades
The R Train came together in 2019, but the players brought careers that stretch back to the 1980s. The band took its name from the R train subway line in New York, marking the day the members rode from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn into Manhattan for their first mastering session.
Vocalist and guitarist Jeffrey Black is a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has performed with a number of East Coast bands over the years. On bass is Len “Blackjack” Leuci, a veteran player who counts Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath and Jack Bruce of Cream among his influences.
Behind the kit sits Mike Annese, known on stage as “Chief Batterista.” Before music took the front seat, Annese spent 27 years in the fire service and rose to the rank of Fire Chief in South Florida. Additionally, he authored a book on leadership called “The Victory Cycle” and traveled internationally as a motivational speaker. He has been playing drums since the age of nine. His path back to a full-time band began, by his own account, with a moment of honesty.
“I let go of something I loved,” Annese has said of the years he spent away from music. “Music was my true passion.”
He called Jeffrey Black soon after, and The R Train started to take shape.
“Mariah” and the Team Behind It
The new single is a portrait of a character rather than a person, a vixen running wild through New York City and taking no prisoners on her way toward the destruction of everything in her path. Musically, it announces itself immediately. The first crack of the drums pulls you in, and from there the track slips into a serpentine feel that edges toward an almost disco-leaning groove, all while keeping its rock backbone intact.
“Mariah” was written by Black and Annese, and the band brought in serious studio talent to shape the recording. It was mixed by Brent Kolatalo, a New York City-based, Grammy-nominated mix engineer whose credits include work on more than two dozen gold and platinum records, 19 number one albums and singles, and 16 Grammy-nominated projects. Mastering was handled by Vic Anesini, the former chief mastering engineer at Sony, whose long career has seen him work across a wide catalogue of major label recordings.
That pairing gives “Mariah” a finished mix with weight in the low end. The guitar cuts, and the vocal sits front and center where the band wants it.
A Video Shot on the Streets of New York
The visual side of “Mariah” comes from Emmy Award-winning director Matt Greene, who produced and directed the clip around dancer Ashley Taylor and a live band performance. Greene mixes that footage with location shots of Manhattan, its clubs, and the everyday life of the song’s central character before night falls and things turn darker. The result plays out in a newsreel style, moving through surreal corners of the city and grounding the song’s story in a real place.
Buzz, Streams and the Look
The R Train has been building momentum for a while now. Their last release, “Indigo,” reached #1 on Amazon Music and drew 263,000 streams on YouTube, while The R Train also landed #20 on the iTunes UK Rock charts for their song Mariah. Further press coverage has followed.
The band’s image is part of the live presentation. Jeffrey Black performs in a facemask, a choice that has generated its share of curiosity and debate. He maintains that the mask is his real identity rather than a costume. Annese has leaned into his own history on stage, trading the fire helmet story for a top hat that gives him a mad hatter meets the drum kit look, then bringing out the white fire chief helmet as one of the highlights of the live show. Blackjack anchors the group both musically and visually.
The full live production adds lights, smoke, and fire, with sound effects woven directly into the music and a band logo built to be recognized on sight. It is a show designed to be seen as much as heard.
What Comes Next
For all the studio pedigree and stagecraft, The R Train keeps circling back to a simple idea. Their stated goal is to get people up out of their seats, to let go of the everyday stresses of the world for a few minutes, and to rock and dance to the groove.
“We are a power trio, and everything we do starts with the three of us in a room,” Black says. “Mariah is true to our roots, genuine and raw.”
On the evidence of “Mariah,” that approach is working. It is a hard-hitting track with a groove that moves, made by players who have spent a lifetime learning how to make three instruments sound like a lot more.
Where to find The R Train
Stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music
Follow the band @ The R Train