Review: The Family- 'Delusions of Grandeur'

There are plenty of family bands in roots music (HAIM, Larkin Poe) and plenty of supergroups (I'm With Her, The Highwomen), but rarely do you get a family band that is also a supergroup. But that's exactly what The Family, whose album Delusions of Grandeur releases 7/31/2026, is.

You've got Americana staple Dylan LeBlanc anchoring The Family. Alongside him is his father, James LeBlanc, a prolific session player and songwriter who has penned hits for some of country music's biggest stars. James' wife, Angela Hacker, won the competition show Nashville Star and penned the hit “I Ain't Easy to Love” for Candi Staton. Bay Simpson is Angela's son, and a songwriter in his own right in addition to competing on The Voice.

It's easy to tell this is a family band. There's an easy harmony and selfless trading of vocal and instrumental fronting that only comes from people who have been playing together all their lives. Everybody in The Family gets their moment to shine, and the multiple lead vocal turns while the others revert to harmony give the entire album a Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac vibe. That's especially pronounced on two of Delusions of Grandeur's highlight tracks. The first is Angela doing her best Christine McVie on “The History of Things to Come.” The second is Bay taking a turn on vocals on the shimmering '70s-vibed “Everybody Loves You.”

Dylan stands out on “Pick Your Poison,” a track he shared back in January on his solo Spotify page billed as Dylan LeBlanc, The Family. A guitar heavy Muscle Shoals swamp rocker that not only shows off Dylan's vocals but also James' instrumental prowess.

The Muscle Shoals sound isn't an accident. The Family all hail from the area, with James contracted as a songwriter to the legendary FAME Studios. FAME is also where The Family recorded the album back during the height of the pandemic. While solo careers and personal struggles delayed Delusions of Grandeur by almost six years, the wait was worth it. And while their various solo careers may hinder them somewhat, The Family isn't a one-off project. They've already recorded seven new songs for a future project as well as a live album of one of their first shows in May.