1. Has impending death ever sounded so joyful? Justin Townes Earle announces his intention to drown in the Harlem River in the lead single from his upcoming album of the same name, and between the clapping and the gospel choir, one can hear the pearly gates opening right up.
2. Channeling the Delta blues that he consistently refers to as major inspiration, Earle continues to expand his sound from his breezy old-time debut The Good Life and the more mature Midnight at the Movies. Showing off a deeper tone of his voice, he invokes the huckster spirit of his live show to swagger towards his predicted death, claiming that he won’t “make a sound” as the “dirty waters” cover his body.
3. Earle recaptures the spirit of Depression-era America at an oddly appropriate time, exclaiming that his “troubled days are behind [him] now” and looking forward to the peace that death provides. A simple song with a morbid message turns downright spiritual in Earle’s hands, thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of the blues and the spirit with which to sing them. A tease like this promises good things from the upcoming full length, reason enough to live another day.
Justin Townes Earle – “Harlem River Blues”
Posted: August 12th, 2010 | 3 Comments »
1. When Bruce Robison’s last full length The New World was released, he commented that roots music should sound different than the rest of music, by virtue of its name. His latest single “Heartache to Houston”, accomplishes that by sounding refreshingly simple.
2. Lead by Brian Beken’s mandolin, the song finds Robison with “one hand on the wheel/ and one on the wind”, skipping town after a relationship where there is “nothing left worth saving”. Hoping to find some new ground to plow in Houston, he leaves with nothing save “a need to light this fuse”. The song, co-written with Gary Massey and ex-Fastball frontman Miles Zuniga, strips things away to a classic country arrangement, centered around an insistent snare that makes it seem like more of a rave-up than it actually is. Touches of organ and delicate electric guitar light the way, but never in a manner that overpowers the tune.
3. Part of me wishes there was something more to say about this song — maybe a twist at the end, like Robison has been known to write. On second thought, that sort of device would actually negate this song’s strength: simplicity. Robison’s character doesn’t have much of an agenda beyond getting out of town, so he can’t be expected to wax poetic or psychoanalyze the situation. Instead, he drives along to a song that is perfect for someone in his situation: a great melody, a driving beat, and a bit of self-pity, heading for a new horizon. Country music doesn’t need much more.
Bruce Robison – “Heartache to Houston”
Posted: August 2nd, 2010 | 2 Comments »
1. Elizabeth Cook reaches deep down into her roots in Wildwood, Florida to produce “El Camino”, from her latest Don Was-produced gem Welder. Have you ever been to Wildwood, Florida? Just south of Ocala, the small town might be the plastic lawn chair capital of the world. Cook embraces that, describing a man who might well be the hero of this small town, and her unashamed love for him.
2. The man that picks her up “everyday at the curb/ In his 1972 refurb” lives in a country that you don’t hear about on the radio. Cook’s country isn’t full of chest beating ex-military family farms, but rather folks who go parking after the “Saturday matinee roller derby”, after the dude “slipped a quaalude in my beer”. Confident enough to say that he is “creepy in a perv kinda way” and “right now my hands are in his mullet”, Cook’s character shows the two sides of the Southern woman: one who calls it like she sees it, and can’t help but like what she sees.
3. The same attitude gave her critical acclaim on the title track from 2007’s Balls, which was produced by Rodney Crowell. Buddy Miller and Dwight Yoakam also make appearances on this record, furthering the testament to Cook’s music. She stated in interviews that Don Was discovered her through her friendship with Todd Snider, and that might be an apt comparison: honest, smart, and completely irreverent. The combination of those traits is exactly what makes this song work.
Elizabeth Cook – “El Camino”
Posted: July 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »
