A modern, deadpan spin on classic country heartache
Dave Insley’s latest album – his fourth – is full of loss and waiting. Waiting for the phone to ring. Waiting for a change of mind. Waiting to feel better. His deadpan delivery is both stalwart and ironic as the boozy night of “Drinking Wine and Staring at the Phone†is as much a songwriter’s document of a protagonist’s lament as as it is the protagonist’s actual lament. Someone else might drown in the heartbreak, but Insley wears his misery as a badge, and the bouncy beat, sliding trombone and barroom piano provide comic ballast. He commiserates with Kelly Willis on the duet “Win-Win Situation for Losers,†but the slightest vocal hiccup offers a crack through which his lack of passion can be seen.
Insley’s pleas are open ended, with the mild protestations of “Call Me If You Ever Change Your Mind†undercut by the title’s second (or likely fifth or sixth) chance. Waiting turns to expectation as “Footprints in the Snow†anticipates memories before they’ve even been made. Memories don’t just linger in Insley’s world, they threaten in advance, and hearts don’t so much break as they ache endlessly. But as much as he describes his pain and loneliness, the wounds are more shellshock than tears. He’s a ghost who can’t bring himself to haunt on “No One to Come Home To,†and the imagined demise of “Dead and Gone,†with a guest vocal tag from Dale Watson, brings forth humor and solace rather than sorrow.
The album departs from waiting on heartache in its latter third, with the family portrait “We’re All Together Because of You,†the philosophical “Just the Way That I Am†and fatalistic “Everything Must Last.†The horns, accordion and trail rhythm of “Arizona Territory 1904†echo Marty Robbins’ gunfighter ballads, while the lyric retells Robbins’ “Big Iron†from the outlaw’s point of view. It’s a good example of Insley’s songwriting craft and understated vocal style, which are backed throughout the album by Redd Volkaert (whose electric guitar on “Call Me If You Ever Change Your Mind†is truly inspired), Rick Shea, Danny B. Harvey, Bobby Snell, Beth Chrisman and others. It’s been eight years since he uncorked West Texas Wine, but the new vintage was worth the wait. [©2016 Hyperbolium] 