Ryan Bingham – “I Don’t Know”

1. As music industry pundit Bob Lefsetz said (paraphrased), its a crazy world we live in when fake country music created for a movie is better than most real country music out there. I find that there is still a lot of good country music being made today, but I agree that the Crazy Heart soundtrack has some great vintage sounding numbers. Maybe this should be a Throwback Thursday post, since Ryan Bingham’s version of “I Don’t Know” sounds so much like a Waylon outtake — and that’s not a bad thing.

2. Ryan’s voice accompanies a trebly guitar over spare sounding drums to great effect, creating a live feel with a bit of Sun Records brightness. Bingham finds himself in limbo, wondering what to make of a relationship, noting that he could “write a book” about what he doesn’t know. Truth be told, there isn’t a lot more to this song, lyrically speaking. Its strengths lie in its heavy backbeat and simple feel. Once upon a time, music didn’t have to reach climactic emotional peaks with string sections and boys choirs to have an impact. In turn, Bingham is able to capture a simple feeling of uncertainty and let that be enough.

3. This track, written by T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, has its roots in the 70’s outlaw country movement that produced Jeff Bridges’ fictional character. In the film, Bingham and his band back up Bridges at a stop in New Mexico, taking over when Bridges is racked by sickness. In the real world, Bingham is a perfect candidate to continue blazing the outlaw trail, with his latest offering being a great blend of 60’s rock and troubadour country (read my review of “Country Roads”). Burnett and Bruton have produced a soundtrack that fits seamlessly with the music from that time period, and with enough musical integrity to stand alone, apart from the film. Bingham’s personal style fits well enough to make this track a success.

Ryan Bingham – I Don’t Know

Posted: January 11th, 2010 | 4 Comments »

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