1. Chuck Prophet is not a country singer, doesn’t claim to be. In fact, his new record, Let Freedom Ring!, is more of a tribute to the birth of rock and roll than anything, with its shades of Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent. However, it doesn’t necessarily take a country singer to sing a country song, as he proves on the second track, “What Can A Mother Do?”. Prophet has called these “political songs for non-political people”, and his gentle treatment of loss here strikes a chord. This is not a song about people from the country, but a song for people from America’s rural areas, which gives it all the qualification it needs.
2. Chuck recorded Let Freedom Ring! in Mexico City with Greg Leisz (who produced Dave Alvin’s King of California) at the helm. He sought help from original E Street drummer Ernest “Boom” Carter and, on this song, ex-Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins. Her lilting vocals and swooning fiddle give its shuffling rhythm a nice drawl. Prophet speaks of an “only child”, who was “born to run” (pun intended, as drummer Carter gave that song its signature heft). “Unwanted in seventeen states”, the child wanders around the country while Prophet wonders about her parents, whose baby is “never coming home”. He moves on to tell the story of a youngest child, who scrapped for everything he could get growing up. By the time he enlisted, Prophet notes, he was “three times a dad”. The chorus implies his death, and Prophet’s subtle mention of his occupation makes clear his feelings on war.
3. Prophet finishes by noting the presence of “Jesus on the billboard” and how we have pounded our fists at the sky in vain, asking for some relief from this world. Finishing with the now loaded chorus, he shrugs his shoulders, and the song enjoys one last bit of music before fading away. This is not an overtly political song, as Chuck shows that the parents of runaways and fallen soldiers go through the same thing. Loss is one thing that makes us human, and this simple jaunt carries that simple message, with just enough sugar to make it go down easy.
Chuck Prophet – What Can A Mother Do?
Posted: January 5th, 2010 | No Comments »
1. To call Works Progress Administration a supergroup might be an understatement. Led by Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett, Jerry Douglas Band) and Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, they have a phenomenal amount of talent just in their frontline. Backed by Benmont Tench from the Heartbreakers, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello’s band, and pedal steel player Greg Leisz (who produced Dave Alvin’s King of California), WPA is deeper than most NBA teams. However, a large amount of talent does not necessarily make a great record. Luckily, they have Rick Rubin sideman Jim Scott at the helm, and his ability to direct musical traffic shines on the first single from their self-titled album “You Will Always Have My Love”.
2. Though Phillips’ forgiving words are no slouch, the undeniable star of the song is the indelible opening riff, first announced by Bulla and Sara Watkins’ twin fiddles, then echoed by Leisz and Tench in the second go-round. Jim Scott makes the four instruments share a run of notes is a testament to his skill, though Phillips’ lyrics bolster the nostalgic feeling. Building the metaphor of a burning house, Phillips admittedly takes half of the credit for its’ demise. The chorus, however, is reassuring, with Phillips peeling back the layers of tears and scars to reveal his continuing, if not active support and affection. Though the chorus is immediate and meaningful, it serves almost as a pre-chorus to the re-entry of the main theme. He continues to forgive his old partner of wrongdoings since their split, stopping just short of asking for reconciliation.
3. Some may argue that this doesn’t quite fit into the country genre — though whatever Phillips lacks in vocal twang, his band makes up for in spades with the twin fiddles (a dying art), pedal steel, and strong songwriting. Without all the instrumentation, the song would still demand respect, which is the reason this works. With such a stellar cast of players, a good song gets taken to another level. By doing that, WPA exceeds the sum of its parts, which contain more talent than most bands have to offer as a whole.
Works Progress Administration – You Will Always Have My Love
Posted: December 14th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
1. Finally, Todd Snider has some structure in his life, courtesy of super-producer Don Was. I was shocked to learn that Snider’s 2007 release Peace, Love and Anarchy was an odds and ends compilation, because I could have sworn that they were ALL odds and ends compilations, until this one. Was got Snider in a room with pedal steel ace Greg Leisz and legendary drummer Jim Keltner, and out came this beauty. Dry, spare, and somehow simultaneously full, The Excitement Plan gives Todd some much needed musical structure, even if his personal life is still in shambles.
2. A feeling of optimism in the face of misfortune pervades almost every song on The Excitement Plan — right off the top, Snider finds himself a four leaf clover that is missing a leaf, and surmises that a “slim chance is still a chance”.”Greencastle Blues” is a great musing on his arrest for possession at age 40, with his almost naive jailhouse lament: “How do you know when it’s too late to learn?”
3. A storyteller who slowly reveals himself to be the protagonist, Snider makes his way through several songs in the third person, including Robert Earl Keen’s “Corpus Christi Bay“, here given a breezy solo treatment that sounds a whole lot more like the bayfront city than Keen’s version. The story of two brothers who couldn’t get it right even if they got a second chance is a great fit for this record. The much lauded “America’s Favorite Pastime”, a fantastic re-telling of Dock Ellis’ acid-fueled no-hitter, speaks Todd’s thesis quite plainly: Don’t always expect failure from a ragamuffin approach to life. Even still, I bet he doesn’t get many babysitting jobs.
4. The singer/songwriter William Shakespeare said it best with “to thine own self be true”, and there is no mistaking that Todd Snider is who he says he is. His sense of self-awareness is second to none in a field of songwriters who attempt to define themselves through their songs. A barroom romp with Loretta Lynn in “Don’t Tempt Me” exposes his penchant for straying from the righteous path, and “Money, Compliments, and Publicity” is a sly commentary on pop culture (with an admission that he, too, is interested in those things). After notoriously aping Tom Petty for most of 1998’s Viva Satellite, Snider’s self-satisfaction is refreshing, and with Don Was’ production constraints, he really lets himself shine.
Posted: August 21st, 2009 | No Comments »
