1. The Erwin sisters announce their return to music, with a swiftly strummed acoustic guitar, followed by the rolling banjo that Emily almost singlehandedly reintroduced to country music a decade ago as a member of the Dixie Chicks. From the upcoming Court Yard Hounds’ self-titled record, “It Didn’t Make a Sound” is a breezy account of Robison’s well-publicized break-up, and the surprisingly low impact she found that it made on her life.
2. With a voice that echoes Sheryl Crow in its effortlessness, Emily starts by rattling off a list of things she hears — her lover being evasive on the phone, the song on the radio while he takes her for a ride to talk — but notes the one thing she didn’t hear, and that was the sound of her “heart breaking”. The unexpectedly easy exit from the relationship seems to be a surprise to both Robison and her partner, as all she hears is “the freedom bells ringing.” Though the band is named after a fictional book in David Benioff’s City of Thieves, the lyrics seem to suggest that she has also read Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, enjoying her new independence without the anticipated distress.
3. The sound of the song echoes the free and easy feeling that Robison evokes in her lyrics, with a bit of California shine on the sisters’ country cool. Producer and engineer Jim Scott (who recorded and won a Grammy for Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, one of my favorite records of all time) makes every instrument on this song shine, allowing each instrument to have a place as part of the whole — a good thing when the studio musicians include Martin Strayer, Audley Freed, and George Rieff. If this song, both in sound and lyrics, is any precursor of the band’s new direction, things are looking up.
Court Yard Hounds – It Didn’t Make a Sound
Posted: March 29th, 2010 | 6 Comments »
I talked to the talented Gordy Quist from the Band of Heathens last week, who recently released One Foot in the Ether, their second studio record and fourth overall. You can read a review of that record’s first single “L.A. County Blues” here. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
The Jayhawks
Hollywood Town Hall
“My aunt and uncle sent me a copy of The Jayhawks album Hollywood Town Hall when I was about 13 or 14 and just starting to play in bands. Although most of the music I was playing at the time was much heavier, that album struck me as both a songwriter’s album and a band’s album, which was something I was after.”
Tom Petty
Echo
“Echo is one of my favorite Tom Petty albums, even though it’s pretty dark and didn’t have the hits that some of his other albums did. He’s an artist who has continued to write great songs, put out great records, and still tours with a great rock ‘n’ roll band.”
Tom Waits
Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards
“I was listening to a lot of Tom Waits stuff while we were in the studio making One Foot in the Ether. Specifically, the Mule Variations album and the triple album Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards. They’ve both got some amazing songs and interesting sonic textures and arrangements.”
Gary Floater
A Hero Never Learns
“I wish I had written the song, “The Dirty South”, from the Gary Floater album A Hero Never Learns.”
The Magpies
Eastern Standard Time
“The Magpies are a band from Cleveland and they’re great live and they put out great albums”
Posted: October 23rd, 2009 | 2 Comments »
1. By now, Rosanne Cash’s new record The List has been pored over by critics, previewed by NPR, and released a week ago. Her renditions of songs from her father’s list of 100 essential songs provide new insight into classic American standards, with warm production by her husband, John Leventhal. One of these songs, Don Gibson’s “Sea of Heartbreak”, was also covered by her father on his second American Recordings release Unchained. The two versions of Gibson’s terribly lonely classic are very different, but both seem to serve the song equally well. Rosanne brings in Bruce Springsteen to assist on background vocals, while her father had Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) backing him on much of that entire record. As for whose version is better? That is up to you to decide.
2. Johnny Cash’s work with Rick Rubin stands as a testament to both artist and producer, with Cash’s strong baritone hovering over Rubin’s crisp, acoustic based arrangements. Petty’s drawled count-off leads into a jangly rendition with all the American Recordings’ hallmarks – triangle, layered acoustic guitars, and booming piano fills. Petty has always been underrated as a background singer, a role he displayed on Bob Dylan’s 1986 True Confessions tour, where he and his band opened for the legend, then served as his backing band. His thin tenor lilts over Cash’s recitation, while Benmont Tench’s organ provides a perfect warmth to the track. Rubin, who also produced Petty’s Wildflowers, provides a similar sound here, with the bright accompaniment a worthy foil to Cash’s unmistakable voice.
3. Leventhal and Rosanne take a different approach, with an airy keyboard and a twangy, reverb-heavy guitar providing the only accompaniment before Rosanne’s distinctive alto breaks the ethereal mood. Bruce’s voice is in full croon mode that he showed on Magic’s “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”, more deep-vibrato Roy Orbison than the gritty howl that Springsteen fans are used to. A change of chords on the chorus creates a descending, tension-building pattern that echo the narrator’s desperation. Springsteen’s solo turn on the bridge over a lightly strummed guitar makes it a true duet, rather than just a background cameo.
4. It is hard to pick a favorite of these two tunes. Rosanne’s version is more adult contemporary, similar to a rendition that Sting might turn out if he were prone to covering American classics. Her father’s version is more of an update of his traditional country sound mixed with the Traveling Wilburys (of which Petty was an integral part). Maybe both can be enjoyed without picking a favorite, but in case you haven’t heard either, listen to them below and let me know which version you favor in the comments.
Johnny Cash (with Tom Petty) – Sea of Heartbreak
Rosanne Cash (with Bruce Springsteen) – Sea of Heartbreak
Posted: October 13th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
