Tag Archives: Country

Two Cow Garage: Speaking in Cursive

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twocowgarage_speakingincursiveGravel voiced punk meets Americana

If cowpunk had steeped somewhere less urbane than Los Angeles, and if its progenitors had brought along the raw amperage of their punk backgrounds, it might have sounded more like this Columbus, Ohio band. Vocalist/songwriter Micah Schnabel sings in a hoarse gargle that’s several steps past “raspy” or “roughhewn,” and his self-reflective lyrics are backed alternately by hard-charging electric rock and acoustic country-folk. He’s a cynical sort, mocking his powers as a musician with the opener’s lyric, “So if it lights you up, and if it turns you on / I will sing to you all your favorite songs.” An ambivalence surfaces in the relationship of “Skinny Legged Girl,” with a love letter in one hand, a poison pen in the other, and his ambivalence extends to music itself, compelled to keep writing, but feeling “it was arrogant to think from the start, you were the only backyard Dylan with a folksinger’s heart.” Schnabel’s gravelly delivery is more Tom Waits than Bob Dylan, and a few of the songs, such as “Glass City,” offer the rising tide of an E Street Band epic. The band’s Americana influences are heard in the jangly rocker “Wooden Teeth,” the emotional ballad “Not Your Friends,” the twangy “Swallowed by the Sea” (with bassist Shane Sweeney providing the low lead vocal), and the exceptional acoustic autobiography “Swingset Assassin.” In addition to Waits and Springsteen, the Replacements and Uncle Tupelo provide obvious antecedents; less obvious are Big Star, the Goo Goo Dolls and even Bryan Adams, and contemporaries like Drag the River and the Drive By Truckers. In the end, Schnabel’s voice is too unique for such simple comparisons, his lyrics too intimately autobiographical, and the band’s combination of fiery punk rock and earthy Americana quite unlike any one of their forerunners. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Brass Ring
Two Cow Garage’s MySpace Page

Chris Knight: Heart of Stone

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chrisknight_heartofstoneDarkness in the rural heartlands

Having found himself artistically on 2001’s Pretty Good Guy singer-songwriter Chris Knight shook off the major label production of his 1998 self-titled debut and wallowed in his dark visions of rural life. His follow-ups, including a startling album of pre-debut auditions, The Trailer Tapes, have stuck to a similar format of rootsy guitar-based productions backing unblinking chronicles of blue collar America. Knight is often likened to Steve Earle, and the hopelessness in his songs brings to mind Earle’s Guitar Town-era work; but where Earle wrote of kids trapped by the stilted imaginations of limited experience, Knight writes of adults trapped by circumstance and situation. Earle’s protagonists sense there’s something better but don’t know what, while Knight’s are taunted by better lives that remain out of reach.

Knight opens the disc as a touring musician whose road-warrior fortitude has become a callus (“I ain’t home ‘til I leave you behind”) and on “Hell Ain’t Half Full” he’s a hell-bound meth dealer who thinks God’s given up. Knight’s characters carry forward the disappointments and failures of broken childhoods, escaping from dysfunctional relationships but unable to erase their scars. The few rays of light that penetrate Knight’s bleakness are more faith than realization. He sings of a coal miner’s flight from his ancestral home, counting on the belief that “hope runs a straight line down this mountain road” to the ocean. He exults in the opportunity to rekindle a relationship on the up-tempo “Maria,” and takes cold comfort in the scar that’s replaced the relationship of “Miles to Memphis.”

Dan Baird (ex-Georgia Satellites) returns to the producer’s seat, having sat out Knight’s 2006 release Enough Rope, and the sound returns to the determinedly paced, sinewy Americana the two first crafted for Pretty Good Guy. It’s a perfect setting for Knight as the tempos match the relentless extinction of hope in his characters. Given that Knight practiced his writing for several years before recording his debut, it’s unsurprising that in a half-dozen albums his lyrical voice has remained relatively steady. What’s impressive is the wealth of characters and stories he continues to dig up and render in such palpable, three-dimensional emotions. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Ryan Delmore: The Spirit, the Water, and the Blood

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ryandelmore_thespiritMusically fetching Americana  worship service

Despite Delmore’s credentials as a worship service leader and his record label’s ministry-through-music charter, you’d be setting off in the wrong direction in comparing this to anything Christian Contemporary. As a musician, Delmore is full of rootsy twang and organ soul, and he sings in a powerful, hoarse voice that’s full of emotional cracks. Think Tom Petty, Ryan Adams or Mark Erelli. The album opens with the ragged vocal of “Mercy” giving an initial sense of dissipation, but the lyrics reveal the singer basking in renewal rather than wallowing in desperation. The drawn-out refrains of “Hallelujah” conjure the allusive biblical glimpses of Leonard Cohen’s like-titled song, but the cry here is one of forgiveness. Delmore’s testimony is powerful, but even with superb Americana sounds to grab secular ears, the monothematic glorying of God will quickly wear out its welcome from the unconverted. Songs of praise resonate powerfully with believers, but they resound as blind faith outside the circle of the saved. Unlike the then-recently-converted Dylan of Slow Train Coming, Delmore appears here fully formed as a religious being and fully steeped in the liturgy. The result is an album of praise that’s anchored to its own faith, rather than the joys and travails of life from which religious conviction is born. Delmore’s music is compelling, as is his voice, but secular listeners will be disappointed by the lack of insight into the experiential roots of his religious beliefs. These songs preach well to the converted and will catch the ears of many others, but the only converts will be those already teetering on the edge; perhaps that’s part of Delmore’s musical mission. Worship leaders who want to bring these songs into their services will find lyrics and chords on the enhanced CD of this release. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Mercy
Ryan Delmore’s MySpace Page

Waylon Jennings: The Essential 3.0

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waylonjennings_essential30Eco-friendly expansion of stellar career overview

Several of Legacy’s two-disc Essential releases have been upgraded with a third-disc and plastic-free eco-friendly packaging. Such is the case for the original 42-track 2007 issue of this set, augmented here with eight additional tunes on a third disc. Although disc three clocks in at only 26 minutes, it adds several tracks that, in retrospect, should have been included in the original line-up. Highlights of the newly added tunes include a live version of Jimmie Rodgers “T For Texas,” Jennings’ superb cover of the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See,” the autobiographical 1981 hit “Shine,” the chart-topping cover of Little Richard’s “Lucille (You Won’t Do Your Daddy’s Will),” and the title track from the Highwaymen’s first album. This isn’t collector’s bait intended to lure fans into repurchasing the Essential set – all of the newly added tracks are (or have been) available on CD – it’s sweetener to a set that’s already quite sweet. The original two-disc version of this title provided a superb overview of Jennings’ career, with a deep focus on his most productive years at RCA. The first two discs are reproduced here verbatim from the original release, as is the booklet’s excellent liner notes, recording details and chart info; the eight new additions are detailed on the inside of the four-panel cardboard slipcase, along with four full-panel vintage photographs. At the same list price as the original two-disc version, this is a terrific upgrade to a terrific set. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hayes Carll: Trouble in Mind

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hayescarll_troubleinmindWitty, arch and funny hard Texas country

Carll continues to make good on the deep Texas songwriting talent demonstrated on two previous albums. For this third release he moves onto the Lost Highway label, and picks up the considerable backing talents of Fats Kaplin, Darrell Scott, Will Kimbrough, and Dan Baird and others. Better yet, producer Brad Jones and engineer Mark Addison spend that instrumental firepower in support of Carll’s vocals and his witty, incisive lyrics. While some may prefer the more primitive sound of his earlier albums, in retrospect they sound like demos for this more fully realized outing.

The restlessness of Steve Earle courses through Carll’s narratives and keenly observed portraits, but so does the irascible spark of Charlie Robinson and the tongue-in-cheek pathos of rock musician Ben Vaughn. The latter’s wit is mirrored in the story of love lost to salvation, “She Left Me for Jesus” and the performing musician’s litany of horrors, “I Got a Gig.” Carll’s drawl collides with the freewheeling blues and nasal syllables of Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & #35” on “A Lover Like You,” with the word ‘lover’ drawn as if Tennessee Williams’ Maggie the Cat sang ragged country blues. Carll stays sly, though his lyrics aren’t always joking. “Don’t Let Me Fall” pleads for forgiveness and support in the wake of moral failure, and his cover of Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” is both petulant and preternaturally knowing. The rasp in Carll’s voice can express resignation, dissipation, irreverence, cynicism and ire, but it always seems to be balanced with a wounded poet’s optimism. The break-up of “It’s a Shame” is mourned for the hope of what could have been rather than the loss, and Tom Waits’ romantic Bowery sentiments are translated into rural images on “Beaumont.”

The album’s cover art reaches back to Merle Haggard’s early Capitol albums, but Carll’s not as inconsolably self-deprecating as The Hag, and the twangy mix of instruments covers more ground. There’s plenty of fiddle and steel, but also baritone guitar, six-string electric leads, harmonium, banjo and mandolin, and it’s all deftly woven into backings that are modern in reach but traditional in effect, practiced in their looseness and anchored by the emotional abrasion of Carll’s voice. Fans of Van Zandt, Earle, Nelson, Kristofferson, Shaver, Waits, Bruce & Charlie Robison, and Chris Knight will find much to love here. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “She Left Me For Jesus”

George Strait: Troubadour

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georgestrait_troubadourAnother winning set from country music’s Mr. Consistency

“Consistent” would be an insult to an artist of Strait’s caliber if it were used euphemistically to mean “mediocre,” but in Strait’s case, it means consistently good. Very good. Few have waxed as listenable an album catalog as Strait, filled out with hit singles and deep album tracks, and punctuated by exceptional entries like 1989’s Beyond the Blue Neon and 2003’s Honkytonkville. His unerring ear for material and the enthusiasm he’s brought to recording on a nearly annual basis since 1981 (this is his twenty-eighth album in twenty-eight years!) is simply breathtaking. Even more impressive is that Strait’s kept true to his own artistic vision as trends came and went, yet his work has never become repetitious or perfunctory. His latest album extends the streak with a thoughtful collection of new songs whose introspective themes play well to Strait’s growing stature as an elder statesman, and whose light productions closely fit his easy musical style.

Strait’s comfort in his own skin is both inspirational and infectious. The album’s title track finds the singer laboring against the changes of middle-age, but realizing the fires that fueled his youth still burn within him today. A singer of lesser talent or personal experience couldn’t hope to convey the nostalgia, melancholy, grit, resignation and pride woven together in the lyric. At the same time, Strait can distill simple moments of discovery, such as found in “I Saw God Today,” into deep faith, and he finds meaningful discovery from a theme that could have been nothing more than treacle. Strait knows his way around pain, too, sad and broken for “If Heartaches Were Horses” and solemn for the three desperate scenes of “Give Me More Time.”

Even the album’s most straight-forward songs, like the waltzing love song “It Was Me,” the two-stepping “Brothers of the Highway,” and the breezy “River of Love” draw you in with warmth and joyousness. Producer Tony Brown shows just how effective Nashville A-list players can be, weaving their expert playing into organic arrangements that avoid the modern clichés demanded by commercial radio. The results sound like Nashville without sounding like Nashville-begging-for-airplay – just check out quality of the guitar, steel and piano on the honky-tonk “Make Her Fall in Love With Me Song” or the fiddle and Western Swing of “West Texas Town.” There’s a subtle evolution heard throughout this album as George Strait takes stock, and it gives an encouraging sense of just how gracefully he’ll age as an artist. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “Troubadour”

Patty Loveless: Sleepless Nights

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pattyloveless_sleeplessnightsPatty Loveless unleashes on the classics

As terrific as this project looks on paper, the results aren’t as satisfying as the elements might suggest. Loveless is in good voice, the songs are classics, and the arrangements suitably stripped of modern Nashville conventions, but the results are lacking in dynamic range and one-dimensional. Loveless has the tone and twang to effortlessly cast herself back (unlike, for example, Martina McBride on 2005’s Timeless), the problem is that she also has an incredibly powerful voice that’s unleashed in full-throat on every track. The Linda Ronstadt-styled emoting is impressive, even stop-you-in-your-tracks chilling, for a track or two, but the lack of any softness is wearying at album length. Emory Gordy Jr.’s production and arrangements provide typically sympathetic settings for his wife, and Loveless obviously respects and deeply understands her material, but compacting fourteen emotionally-charged singles onto one album leaves the listener feeling battered. Perhaps it was Loveless’ artistic goal to hammer home the sorrow of these songs, but it would make a better listening experience as a series of singles stretched out over a year or two. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “There Stands the Glass”

Glen Campbell: Meet Glen Campbell

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glencampbell_meetBrilliant update of country-pop legend

In contrast to Johnny Cash’s stark reinvention at the hands of Rick Rubin on the American Recordings series, the cheekily titled Meet Glen Campbell sets out to simply reintroduce a legendary artist to contemporary audiences. Co-producers Julian Raymond and Howard Willing are quite obviously steeped in Campbell’s classic hits and sound, and rather than reframing him in something stark or contrasting, they find relevancy in contemporary material and beautifully constructed arrangements that blend guitars, bass, drums, banjo, mandolin and strings. The layered instruments push the songs forward with soaring strings, shuffling country-pop rhythms, and background washes that give this release an updated sound without trying to completely recast its star. Campbell’s voice is mixed further forward than on many of his classic hits, and he sounds remarkably at home atop non-Nashville production that perfectly blends acoustic and electric instruments. This is pop music in the vein of Campbell’s iconic recordings of Jimmy Webb’s songs, mixing craft and roots for the broadly accepting top-40 of four decades past.

The album’s ten tracks are carefully selected from the catalogs of well-known modern pop artists, and adapted with flourishes of Campbell’s earlier work. The rolling rhythm of “Gentle on My Mind,” for example, is added to a cover of Tom Petty’s redemptive “Angel Dream,” and the dramatic strings introducing the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” play upon the original opening of “Wichita Lineman.” Among the album’s highlights is a cover of Jackson Browne’s “These Days,” on which Campbell seems to reflect wearily on the chaos of his earlier years, and finds a modicum of satisfaction in simply having lived through it all. The arrangement of strings and acoustic guitars takes a cue from Nico’s 1967 version, but Campbell’s lengthy career and public life resonate deeply with the lyrics. The Replacements’ “Sadly Beautiful” is arranged with strings in place of the original volume-controlled guitar counterpoint, and ‘70s soft-rock fans will recognize the underlying guitar vibrato from Bread’s “If.” Campbell’s shell-shocked reading of Paul Westerberg’s sorrowful lyrics is supported by layers of acoustic guitar, strings, keyboards and backing vocals. Even the Velvet Underground’s “Jesus” is made to reflect Campbell’s tumultuous history, recast from a libertine’s consideration to an elder statesman’s plea.

If there’s a weakness to the album, it’s the lack of new material. The all-covers format leaves listeners to compare Campbell’s versions to the originals, rather than providing an opportunity to introduce definitive interpretations. Thankfully, many of the selections are pulled from albums rather than hit singles, and avoid the novelty of a mature artist trying to look hip. Even when Campbell does remake an icon, such as Tom Petty’s “Walls” or Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” the songs are given new life from Campbell’s classic sound. “Walls” opens with the sort of orchestral attack that cued the vocal of “Galveston” and “Good Riddance” is turned into a shuffle that’s equal parts country and modern pop. Campbell’s return finds his skills as a vocal interpreter undimmed, and his producers amplify his native talent with cannily picked songs and deftly arranged productions. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “Sadly Beautiful”

Taylor Swift: Fearless

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taylorswift_fearlessThe sound of young Nashville sounds like good pop

Swift’s second album continues the appealing pop of her debut. Her teenage voice is still a bit reedy, but the brassy edge provides balance to the perfectly arranged and polished productions. It’s hard to understand why Swift is lauded with country music airplay and awards, since her music and subject matter only occasionally feint to country music’s roots (is that a mandolin playing on “Breathe” and an atmospheric hint of pedal steel on “Tell me Why”?). This isn’t a criticism of a Nashville artists pushing into pop territory, it’s a wonder how and why a talented pop artist such as Swift positions her music in country music channels. One can only assume Swift was weaned on the later works of Faith Hill.

Swift solves one of the main problem facing teenage artists by writing her own material. Eighteen’s an awkward age for a songwriter, though: too old to sing cute songs of youth, but not yet old enough to really sing with the experience of age. She walks the tightrope with songs of longing, broken hearts, love, and preternatural experience that can speak to both aspirational teenage fans and older listeners, and she’s convincing. Her nostalgic “The Best Day” is a standout with its gentle arrangement and warm memories of caring parents. Some may by tempted to lump Swift with the interchangeable starlets churned out by Disney, but despite the adolescent focus of her lyrics, she’s emotionally deeper than Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez, a better singer and writer than Britney, and she has grander artistic ambitions than all three put together. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “The Best Day”

The Abrams Brothers: Blue On Brown

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abrams_blueonbrownYouthful country-harmony salute to Dylan and Arlo

The Abrams Brothers – a duo that sings and plays violin, viola, guitar and mandolin – take their place in a long line of sibling country harmony acts. They also join the family of precociously talented youngsters who play and sing with a preternatural ease, and an artistic vision that belies their youth. How many teenagers would think to record a tribute to the songs of Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie, and how many of those could reach deep into the two artists’ catalogs for songs that are amenable to bluegrass harmonies and string band arrangements? Well, these two, at least. Accompanied by their cousin on bass and studio hands that include Anton Fier (drums), Rob Ickes (dobro), Will Parsons (banjo), and Mickey Raphael (harmonica), the Abrams’ run through a half-dozen Dylan songs and a half-dozen songs written by or closely associated with Guthrie. The youth in their voices adds an arresting innocence to the iconic Dylan tunes “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Shelter From the Storm,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” The latter, lingered over at a slow tempo is especially effective. Their bluegrass fervor is a perfect fit for Dylan’s born-again hit, “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

When coupled with a full backing band, the duo is overwhelmed by over-thick productions, such as on Guthrie’s “Cooper’s Lament,” Woody Guthrie’s “Oklahoma Hills,” and Dylan’s “Going, Going Gone.” Anton Fier’s plodding drum beats are particularly distracting on these tracks. Much better are the light shuffle, tight harmony and slide guitar of “City of New Orleans,” the interplay of the Abrams’ guitar, mandolin and fiddle with Will Parsons’ banjo on “Every Hand in the Land,” and a superb reading of Guthrie’s wistful “Last to Leave.” The brothers’ gospel harmonies are well spent on Guthrie’s “Last Train,” with Mickey Raphael’s harmonica taking the song home. Dylan and Guthrie’s songs dovetail naturally, especially as selected by the Abrams from both hits and album cuts. The resulting fan portraits transcend smoothly into brotherly harmony. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “City of New Orleans”