Hayes Carll – “Waiting On The Stars To Fall”
Posted on | October 28, 2009 | 1 Comment
1. Hayes Carll’s voice contains an ache that gives even makes his happier songs a bit of a silver lining. Playing the same role of lovable loser that Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker filled decades before him, Carll fits together a rocking roadhouse band with delicately crafted songs that have placed him at the head of his class in the next generation of Texas songwriters. Though “Waiting On The Stars To Fall” was a b-side on the vinyl version of his last record Trouble In Mind, Lost Highway recently released it on a free compilation entitled T For Texas, T From Tennessee, bringing together the best of their artists from the Lone Star State.
2. “Waiting On The Stars To Fall” was produced by Brad Jones, known more for his Nashville pop productions (Josh Rouse, Garrison Starr) than his country engineering work. Jones stretches Carll’s sound a bit on this track, giving him a shimmering bed of keyboards for his voice and gently plucked guitar. Though a baritone guitar and drums enter later, they are subtle enough that they don’t overshadow Carll’s creaking voice, undoubtedly the star of the song.
3. This song finds Hayes wondering what happened to the old version of himself after his lover leaves to “live wild and free”. He finds himself on the other side of forever, not enjoying it within a relationship, but suffering from it, remarking that it is “a long ol’ time”. In the chorus, he repeats that he “want[s] to let go, but [he] can’t.” Carll doesn’t say he doesn’t know how to move on, since knowing how and being able to do something are two entirely different things. He reveals more self-awareness by noting that he used to be “running with the bulls and chasing down stars” instead of “waiting on the stars to fall”. Since she left, though he used to live “like New York City”, he “hardly makes a sound”. Like Tom Waits, Hayes invites the listener to sit down on the curb with him and share in his incredulity at who he used to be and how far he has fallen.
4. “Waiting On The Stars To Fall” is an unfiltered slice of reality, delivered in Carll’s usual steadfast way. Like the outstanding “Take Me Away” from his second record Little Rock, this song lopes along at a slow, shuffling pace that accentuates every drawl in his voice to maximum effect. I think the most promising thing about Hayes Carll is that he gets better with each release. This song isn’t a new one to many, but roars with potential and increases the desire for more from Hayes.
Hayes Carll – Waiting On The Stars To Fall