CD Odyssey Disc 1312: Waylon Jennings

I roll the albums in my collection randomly to determine what I’m going to review next, but sometimes all that random makes for interesting coincidences. For example, this is my second country album in a row from 1973.

This is my 18 album reviewed from 1973 (all genres) since I started this crazy journey over 10 years ago. My first was Tom Waits’ “Closing Time” back at Disc #40. I’m sure there will be more; 1973 was a good year for music.

Disc 1312 is… Honky Tonk Heroes

Artist: Waylon Jennings

Year of Release: 1973

What’s up with the Cover? A bunch of good ole boys enjoy a beer and a laugh between takes. Good times.

How I Came to Know It: I’ve known about Waylon Jennings since I was a little kid but he never punched through until my friend Ross started bringing him around and playing his music for me. That led me to this album, which features many of Waylon’s best. Thanks, Ross!

How It Stacks Up:  Waylon Jennings released over 40 studio albums in his life, but in my collection “Honky Tonk Heroes” is all by itself, and so can’t stack up. That may change soon, though.

Ratings: 5 stars

Delivering a perfect mosey is not an easy thing to do, but on “Honky Tonk Heroes” Waylon Jennings and his band do exactly that. The result is not only a country music classic, but a masterpiece by the standards of any genre.

“Honky Tonk Heroes” wanders with artful purpose. You never feel rushed but before too long (an economical 32 minutes in fact) you arrive at the end wondering where the time went but wanting nothing more than to spend it all over again.

Everything starts with the masterful writing of Billy Joe Shaver. Shaver writes or cowrites all but one of the songs on the record. He is a country music Tom Petty writing original melodies that seem so obvious you wonder how no one thought of them before. The songs are short, simple and perfect, wandering through your mind like a touring troubadour through the center of town. They are fragments expressing love and yearning and road-weary revelry, hinting at a hundred regrets and triumphs.

These songs need the right voice to deliver them, which is where Waylon Jennings comes in. He’s got the perfect combination of country warble and operatic power to pull it off. Everything seems to have more gravitas when Waylon singing it to you.

“Honky Tonk Heroes” is replete with travel songs, many of which express the hard cost of the itinerant lifestyle including “Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me,” “Low Down Freedom,” “Omaha” and “Ain’t No God in Mexico.” They are all brilliant, managing to capture both the romantic nature of the experience along with a powerful sense of loss and regret. On “Low Down Freedom” Jennings refuses love and pays the price:

“Like them big wheels, I'll be rolling
Like them rivers, gonna flow to sea
'Cause I'd rather leave here knowing
That I made a fool of love before it made a fool of me

“Low down freedom, you've done cost me
Everything I'll ever lose
Your as empty as my pockets
From the top of where you start down to the bottom of my shoes”

And on “Omaha” he leaves home only to run afoul of the law out west:

“Rode my thumb to San Francisco, I worked down by the bay
Got some schoolin' paid for by the law
The hardest thing I learned was there ain't no easy way
To get ahead behind those county walls”

These restless songs of dubious adventure are juxtaposed masterfully with some of the sweetest songs of love and devotion in country music, including “We Had It All” and “You Asked Me To”. When Waylon says he’ll do anything his love asks him to, you know it’s a Big Deal. The man’s got the highway in his veins, and an oath to settle down (whether it sticks or not) is a big deal for him.

On top of all this, the band makes nary a misstep on the production and arrangement. The record is sparse and exact while never feeling forced. The band plays with a relaxed quality and while the songs aren’t difficult at their core, playing them with just the right sway and swagger is a big part of what raises this record to perfection. The solos are mostly just a few blue notes here and there, and you can feel everyone is having as good a time playing these tunes together as they are knocking back a few beers on the cover.

The record ends with “We Had it All,” the only song that isn’t by Billy Joe Shaver. It brings the themes together matching the memory of a perfect love that’s now just a memory. Writers Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts do the unthinkable and match Shaver’s brilliance, giving Jennings a late-record crooner with a saucy key-change to show that yes, he can do that too, thank you very much.

If you like country music, this album should be in your collection. If you don’t like country music, this album is as good a place as any to change your mind. It is the confluence of talent brought together in the right time and place to make great art; Shaver writes it, the band plays it, and Waylon makes you believe every word.

Best tracks: all tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 1311: John Prine

After a busy week the weekend is finally here. I put in my last day at my old job on Friday and my first day at a new one comes Monday. While all that change has preoccupied my thinking, I still found some room up in the old brain box for music.

Disc 1311 is… Sweet Revenge

Artist: John Prine

Year of Release: 1973

What’s up with the Cover? Prine relaxes in a convertible, boots crossed jauntily on the door, and enjoys a smoke break. A few minutes later I imagine the owner of the car came along and asked him what the hell he was doing in there. Prine then languorously poured himself onto the street and sauntered down the street, the smile never leaving his face. Some folks are just chill like that.

How I Came to Know It: I had always known about Prine by reputation, but it was my friend Casey that ignited my interest when he played a couple of his songs for me at a music night. One was “Dear Abby” and when I discovered it was on this album, I decided to start there with my exploration of his music.

How It Stacks Up:  I now have five John Prine albums (I’m still on the lookout for 1978’s “Bruised Orange” but is damned hard to find). “Sweet Revenge” and Prine’s eponymous 1971 release are in a dead heat for first place, but since I’m not one to equivocate I’ll put “Sweet Revenge” into second in a photo finish.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

“Sweet Revenge” is a masterful crossover of folk and country music that is still relevant and poignant today, over 45 years after it was first released.

The album has a delightful country swing to it that makes for an easy and relaxed listen that fits well with the reclining shot of Prine on the cover. The melodies bounce gentle in the ears, and have a timeless quality to them. Some of the progressions feel borrowed from traditional tunes, but Prine updates them in a way that makes them uniquely his own while still honouring the source material.

Prine’s vocals are far from powerful (a colleague of mine once said that he sings everything in the key of “A” because that’s easiest for someone with no range). Even so, he has a folksy quaver that, along with his solid feel for timing and phrasing, draws you into the stories he’s telling. The record feels like you’re sitting on the back porch of some farmhouse swapping tunes on guitar with the neighbours.

A good record often brings you in with one song only to have you discover four more you like even better, and that happened for me with “Sweet Revenge”. I bought the record for the kitschy “Dear Abby” which is still fun every time I hear it but loses a bit of its lustre once you know all the jokes.

Prine has always had a talent for exploring serious topics from a humorous, self-deprecating angle. On “Please Don’t Bury Me” where he imagines what might happen to his body and worldly possessions after he dies. His suggestions include:

"Give my stomach to Milwaukee
If they run out of beer
Put my socks in a cedar box
Just to get 'em out of here

"Venus De Milo can have my arms
Look out! I've got your nose
Sell my heart to the junk man
And give my love to Rose"

Fun abounds in these lines, including acknowledging Prine’s love of beer, the fact that his socks smell (cedar is where you store things you want to smell better, FYI). He ends it all with a tip of the hat to Johnny Cash.

I like every song on the record, and maybe it was my wistful mood of late, but I was drawn to Prine’s sadder songs this time around. “Christmas in Prison” captures the loneliness of inmates on big holidays, as one writes to his lover on the outside, closing with:

“The search light in the big yard turns 'round with the gun
And spotlights the snowflakes like the dust in the sun
It's Christmas in prison there'll be music tonight
I'll probably get homesick, I love you, Good night”

The bittersweet “A Good Time” is a seemingly simple song that belies a complexity of emotion. Listening to it I can’t honestly tell if the narrator is falling in love or losing it, or maybe both simultaneously. Prine artfully creates the tension. The mournful tune in the background just adds to your confusion, but it is a delightful confusion.

The guitar work on “A Good Time” is particularly good, and while many of the songs might be simple jangles, Prine has assembled some first-class musicians to deliver them, and the effort shows.

In 2018 John Prine released his latest record, “The Tree of Forgiveness” to considerable critical acclaim and commercial success. I thought it was OK, but nothing special – the kind of record that is solid but benefits from hearkening back to an artist’s early classics. “Sweet Revenge” is one of those classics, a record with a lot to say that says it simple and straight to the heart. If you’re going to dive into John Prine, this is a fine place to start.

Best tracks: Sweet Revenge, Please Don’t Bury Me, Christmas in Prison, Blue Umbrella, Grandpa Was a Carpenter, The Accident (Things Could Be Worse), A Good Time, frankly many more…

CD Odyssey Disc 1310: Confidence Man

Sorry for my prolonged absence, dear readers. I’ve been busy as hell and putting in a lot of late nights. But enough of such mundanity. Let’s talk music.

My last review featured one of the top ten albums of 2017. This next record did not make my top 10 for 2018, but that’s only because I didn’t know it existed until a couple months ago.

Disc 1310 is… Confident Songs for Confident People

Artist: Confidence Man

Year of Release: 2018

What’s up with the Cover? Sugar Bones and Janet Planet sit in chairs composed of shadow people, likely the band’s other two members – Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild. Yes, you read that correctly – half the band perform under whimsical aliases. I’ll let you decide which half.

How I Came to Know It: I heard this through a clerk in a local record store. It was great stuff and so I started searching for the CD, finally locating it last month in Portland, Oregon.

How It Stacks Up:  This is the band’s debut album, so there is nothing to stack it up against.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

An early hint of what to expect from Confidence Man is their Wikipedia listing, which indicates that co-band leaders Sugar Bones and Janet Planet are responsible for “vocals and dancing.” If you think that’s a sign that dancing is intrinsic to the music, well, it is.

Confidence Man is a mix of dance pop and electronica, with a healthy dose of live drum and keyboard thrown in. Not exactly my usual style of music but forget all that; this music is catchy as hell. You will want to dance. I’d be tempted to even challenge your ability to sit still while listen to this, but it just seems like a cruel dare.

Instead, I encourage you to get up and move as Mr. Bones and Ms. Planet regale you with groovy tales of sex, dancing and cool parties. That’s about the extent of the subject matter of these songs which are fun-filled romps through a carefree life. The worst thing that happens is an unfulfilled desire for bubblegum and a (soon-to-be) ex-boyfriend who doesn’t ‘reciprocate’. Take for that what you will.

Sugar Bones and Janet Planet (so fun to type these names) take turns on lead vocals, sometimes singing but often doing a groovy half-rap over top of the world’s best dance beats.  Sugar Bones channels Right Said Fred on “Don’t You Know I’m in a Band,” a song about how awesome it is to be in a band. Janet Planet has the sixties beatnik swagger of the Shangri-Las’ Mary Weiss. This is particularly true on “C.O.O.L. Party” a song that sounds like a modern update of the Shangri-Las classic “Sophisticated Boom Boom.” If you don’t know “Sophisticated Boom Boom” I encourage you to check it out, because it is one of the best party songs ever written – and so is “C.O.O.L. Party.”

“C.O.O.L. Party” lays out a detailed narrative of the party of the year, from the initial invite, to the search for beer and drugs, through to the inevitable dancing (first with coat on, then – when the party warms up – without.). On “All the Way” a couple meets, cheats, breaks up and then moves back in together because they can’t afford to live on their own. Don’t worry, though, Confidence Man makes even a tragic love affair into a lively adventure.

More often the songs eschew storytelling for great grooves structured loosely around a concept or image. “Catch My Breath” is about trying to do just that (replete with ‘aah-aah-aah’ sounds), and “Bubblegum” is a song about casual yearning, described by Janet Planet thusly:

“I wish I had a boy that talks so sweet
I wish I had a boy to let my parents meet
I wish I had a cotton candy beat
I wish I had a room with an ensuite

I wish I had…I wish…I had

Some bubblegum”

Lyrics aside, this album is a masterwork in beats and grooves. It is the kind of thing you want to hear at every party, or at every nightclub; its middle finger firmly up to anyone who’d rather listen to slow-building house beats while staring at the floor.

There is no shoegazing to be found on “Confident Songs for Confident People” – these are songs to throw your arms and hips into with enthusiasm. To see how its done, I encourage you to check the band out live on Youtube where they demonstrate that the whole “dance and vocals” claims on the bands Wiki page are not empty threats. These two can really cut a rug.

As fun as that experience is, you don’t need to see Confidence Man to enjoy the music. The songs are laden with an infectious natural energy that belies their sometimes techno-based production.

Because of my busy week I ended up listening to this record five or six times over before sitting down to review it tonight. I never got tired of the music. If anything, it helped let building stress slip into the background. This is fun record with its tongue planted firmly in cheek but make no mistake – this is some of the best damned dance music out there.

Best tracks: Try Your Luck, Don’t You Know I’m In a Band, Boyfriend, C.O.O.L. Party, Catch My Breath, Bubblegum, Better Sit Down Boy

CD Odyssey Disc 1309: Sheer Mag

This next album finished #6 on my Top 10 list for 2017. You can read the full list in the introduction of my review of a Jason Isbell album back at Disc 1088. Go check it out, I’ll wait.

Welcome back. I’ll assume since you’ve returned, you want to know what all the fuss is about. Well, read on!

Disc 1309 is… Need to Feel Your Love

Artist: Sheer Mag

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? A big ole jet airliner heads out of a fog bank towards a patch of clear sky, red engine lights glowing in the gloom. Also, the Sheer Mag logo which I declare to be…righteous! You can’t see me right now, but I am flashing the devil horns. Long live rock and roll.

How I Came to Know It: The way I often find music: I saw a review, liked what I read, and then listened to some songs, and liked what I heard. I love it best when my human connections help me find new bands, but sometimes it is just my own voracious appetite for discovery that unlocks the door.

How It Stacks Up:  I have two Sheer Mag albums (I’m on the lookout for a third that was just released, but it is proving hard to find). Of the two I have, “Need to Feel Your Love” is the best.

Ratings: 4 stars

Some albums sink into you slowly, but “Need to Feel Your Love” is not one of them. This record slaps you in the face and right when you’re ready to take offence at the affront of it all, dances jauntily away and all is forgiven.

Sheer Mag is a throwback band that evokes much of what made the seventies such a great era for rock and roll. They stand firmly at ground zero of hard rock, with aggressive guitars growling in a way that evokes Led Zeppelin, Sweet and a host of other luminaries of that era.

While this is likely to be your first impression of their sound, there is also a subtle groove in these songs, as though there is a disco record playing in the background. It isn’t enough to bump the dial off of the hard rock setting, but it does put a little sway in your hips to go along with all that fist pumping.

The combination makes for a clever new take on some traditional forms. “Need to Feel Your Love” is not derivative of early rock and roll, so much as it celebrates it.

The star of the show is lead singer Christina Halladay. Halladay’s voice rasps away like a rusty kitchen knife. She sings with a rough high-end growl that reminded me of a female version of Sweet’s Brian Connolly, with a bit of Girlschool thrown in.

The band is tight as hell, alternating between funky grooves (“Need to Feel Your Love”, “Suffer Me”) and chunky rock riffs (“Meet Me in the Street”, “Just Can’t Get Enough”) with equal brilliance. On “Expect the Bayonet” they deliver a bit of both, and it’s that subtle amalgam that makes their sound so compelling.

My only slight criticism of the record is it feels slightly too long. Objectively it isn’t, coming in at a tastefully restrained 12 songs and 43 minutes. It just feels too long. Part of this is that a preponderance of the best songs appear at the front end of the record. The other thing is that while Halladay’s voice is a rock and roll revelation, you can only be stabbed by a rusty kitchen knife so many times before it starts to ache. I might look for two songs to cut if I could although, admittedly, it would be hard to say goodbye to any of them.

Overall, this record is a visceral treat for the ears. Just don’t come in expecting anything soft or smooth. Rock and roll was never for the faint of heart, and neither is Sheer Mag.

Best tracks: Meet Me in the Street, Need to Feel Your Love, Just Can’t Get Enough, Expect the Bayonet, Suffer Me

CD Odyssey Disc 1308: Sharon Van Etten

I’ve just had a lovely long weekend that managed a perfect balance of quiet time and social events.

I also broke down and did my semi-annual online order of music. I hate doing this (shop local!) but some of this stuff is just impossible to find and so, every now and then, I resort to the interwebs. I feebly justify this by telling myself that over 90% of my musical purchases are made at brick-and-mortar stores, including this next album.

Disc 1308 is… Remind Me Tomorrow

Artist: Sharon Van Etten

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? This room has all kinds of issues, from the strewn clothes, to what look like various types of abandoned meals to the two unattended children, one of whom appears to be unsubtly suggesting it is time to set up the pool in the backyard. Just looking at this maelstrom of junk makes my brain tired.

How I Came to Know It: I knew about Sharon Van Etten from previous albums, but I had never been inspired to bring her into my collection. “Remind Me Tomorrow” got such positive reviews I decided to give her another try. I’m glad I did.

How It Stacks Up:  I have two Sharon Van Etten albums, this one and 2014’s “Are We There” which I had opportunity to revisit for reasons that I’ll get into when I roll it. For now, I’ll just stack ‘em up – a process that finds “Remind Me Tomorrow” coming in at #1.

Ratings: 4 stars

The opening track on “Remind Me Tomorrow” begins with Sharon Van Etten’s airy voice whisper-singing “Sitting at the bar, I told you everything.” It is a haunting harbinger of what you should expect for the next 40 minutes.

That track, “I Told You Everything” is one of the album’s best, from its stark piano chords, to its delicate capture of those moments of pure intimacy; moments when you decide to let another person see all the way through you and hope for the best. The song’s arrangement also slowly builds like a confessional, adding the thump of a bass and drum, and the heavy reverb of drone and synth as the portentous decision to trust unfurls like a flower, blooming at night.

If that all sounds a bit overwrought, I hope you’ll forgive me; the album tends to pull you toward the grandiose. Van Etten is not afraid to be at the center of that experience, fearlessly holding conversations with herself. On “Seventeen” she looks back to her carefree youth. The song has the insistent energy of a discotheque, as she sings unheard wisdom to her younger self, slowly realizing that despite all the weary years between them, she is still the same girl.

With “You Shadow” the coin flips, and it is the weight of the past that at first appears to be holding her back, before she calls out her darker nature, and melds it back into herself:

“You never done nothing wrong

You don’t do nothin’ I don’t do,

You shadow.”

The album’s backdrop to all of this internal exploration is laden with bass and ambient sound. Van Etten’s vocals are strong and clear, but she keeps them tastefully back in the mix. The overall effect is like lying back in a snowdrift and watching the stars, cold but comforted.

I’m not usually a fan of this wall of sound approach to production, and on other records this is where Van Etten loses me. “Remind Me Tomorrow” breaks that trend through the sheer quality of both the songwriting and the arrangements. Van Etten keeps the lyrics simple, but they have a piercing insight, and while there is a lot going on, the songs build slowly and give your ear time to adjust.

As a small aside, I also liked the CD booklet. It featured simple black type on white paper and included song lyrics and who played what instruments on each. CD makers take note: simpler is better.

Sharon Van Etten consistently makes good music, but she doesn’t consistently make music that appeals to me. On “Remind Me Tomorrow” it all comes together, creating a record that makes me excited to hear where she goes from here.

Best tracks: I Told You Everything, No One’s Easy to Love, Comeback Kid, Seventeen, You Shadow, Hands

CD Odyssey Disc 1307: The Tornadoes

I’ve had a stressful few days. I won’t get into the details since this is a music blog, not a daily journal. I’ll just say life can get complicated sometimes and existential angst can sometimes get downright real.

At those times, a little surf guitar is a welcome salve. And on that note…

Disc 1307 is… Bustin’ Surfboards

Artist: The Tornadoes

Year of Release: 1963

What’s up with the Cover? The band gathers on the beach for some musical fun in the sun. They’ve managed to locate a couple of fetching young lasses to keep them company. This party looks like an all-around good time, so long as the amps don’t short out when the tide comes in.

How I Came to Know It: I can’t remember for sure. I’ve liked sixties surfer guitar for years but I think this particular band was a mix of hearing “Bustin’ Surfboards” on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack (reviewed way back at Disc 102) and my friend Randall bringing a track or two over years later (I can’t remember which, but I liked it).

How It Stacks Up:  This is my only Tornadoes album, so it can’t really stack up.

Ratings: 2 stars burt almost 3

I always imagine that surf guitar is what the cool kids were listening to in 1963. Listening to the Tornadoes’ “Bustin’ Surfboards” certainly made me feel like a cool kid, but it also left me wanting more.

The record begins with the drug-hazed riffs of the title track, a song that demonstrates that sometimes in music less is more. “Bustin’ Surfboards” is a conversation between a snare drum and a guitar where the beat is what holds down three-quarters of the song, but the sparse guitar licks are what you remember later. This is a clever song built for shooting a tube or maybe just twisting on the beach in front of a bonfire.

Whatever is going on, it is chill and – like all the songs on the record – filled with a lot of reverb and a meandering groove. That meandering groove occasionally lost me, and there were times I found myself thinking that the Tornadoes were just a jazz band posing as a surfer band. The melodic progressions were very jazzy, and the horn and drum in particular sounded experimental when I just wanted to chillax.

Rightly or wrongly, I also found myself comparing their work to the king of the surf guitar himself, the immortal Dick Dale. That’s not fair, of course. Dick Dale is a generational talent who rewrote the rules on what you can do on a guitar. Still, the styles are close enough that they demanded comparison, and when it happened, I found myself longing for Dale’s signature sound.

Despite that unfair standard, the Tornadoes still manage some brilliant moments. My favourite is “The Gremmie.” It tells the tale of a bad surfer (a ‘gremmie’ in the parlance of the times) desperate to hit the waves on a borrowed surfboard. Despite being primarily an instrumental the song manages a full narrative. It starts with the cool and easy groove of saxophone and guitar licks that speak of a sunny day and some good waves. Along comes the gremmie, asking for a chance to surf with someone else’s board. When he finally does, the song shifts to demonstrate the cacophony of his bad surfing, while never losing the groove. The whole fun (and hilarious) tale is accomplished with three lines of dialogue and 2:33 of furious musicianship.

I also liked the energy of “Moon Dawg” with a light chorus of “ooh aah” leading into a guitar lick that feels like a cross between Dick Dale and Chuck Berry. It is brilliant stuff.

Unfortunately, the album also has its share of schlock, particularly the covers of Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Red Foley’s “Old Shep”. In both cases, the Tornadoes’ efforts to translate these thirties standards into something modern come off sounding disconnected and labored. Slightly better is “Bumble Bee Stomp” a song inspired by Korsakov’s “Flight of Bumblebee” which is better if you know the source material, but still a bit indulgent.

Overall, the record has some great moments, and there is no denying the musicianship the Tornadoes bring to every song. Unfortunately, for me surfer music is first and foremost about the visceral experience and while it is here, the jazz elements of the record prevent me from becoming fully immersed.

Best tracks: Bustin’ Surfboards, The Gremmie, Moon Dawg, The Gremmie Part 2

CD Odyssey Disc 1306: James McMurtry

My friend (and hairdresser) today had the first of an inevitable series of “let’s get real” conversations about the state of my hair. Put bluntly, I’m starting to lose some of it. My think and curly locks hide the damage better than some unfortunates, but it isn’t a permanent solution. My hair is pretty damned important to me, so it’s hard news. At least it is still early stages.

Disc 1306 is… Childish Things

Artist: James McMurtry

Year of Release: 2005

What’s up with the Cover? James strikes a similar pose as my blog profile photo, only not in a cool way. Sorry James, but my sunglasses are more stylish, and I’ve got that hipster moustache in my favour as well. You can’t see it in the close-up, but my long curly hair is a match for James’ as well (at least for now). While I can’t remember specifics from the day the picture was taken, I’m confident my t-shirt was also nicer.

In James’ defence, he is a brilliant singer-songwriter with multiple albums under his belt. Me? I got nothin’. One unpublished novel and a bunch of music reviews.

How I Came to Know It: Just one of a number of James McMurtry albums that caught my attention earlier this year. To my shame, I think I ordered this one through Amazon. I try to shop locally, but occasionally I break down and conspire with convenience.

How It Stacks Up:  I have six James McMurtry albums. I don’t know them as well as I want to yet, making a final ranking difficult, but I know the top three, and “Childish Games” isn’t one of them. I’ll put it at #5 to give me some wiggle room for what’s left.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

They say that country music is three chords and the truth. On “Childish Games” James McMurtry’s truth is filled with stark observation, quiet desperation and dreams gone to seed. It makes for an emotionally impactful record, but not a happy one.

McMurtry is a gifted storyteller, sometimes singing from a personal perspective, sometimes channeling through one of the many rough-edged characters he constructs.

It helps that he has such a great literary mind. The title track gets its title from 1 Corinthians 13. He uses the allusion to showcase the shift in our lives from youthful innocence to weary experience. The narrator begins the song believing in God, but not in ghosts, and ends with the reverse perspective.  

He is also a student of musical history. On “Slew Foot” he evokes Johnny Cash’s “Long Black Veil” with the familiar delivery of “…looked a lot like me” at the end of every chorus is clever without feeling strained. I didn’t love the song overall (it strays into corny in places) but it’s well constructed.

McMurtry also plays some solid guitar, and the blues-edge and liberal use of reverb puts some rock and roll balance against his country mosey. The rockabilly growl on “Old Part of Town” brings a little party jump to the record right where it’s needed.

The best track on the record though is the seven-minute opus to the death of the American dream, “We Can’t Make It Here Anymore.” If you ever want to understand the frustration of the lives of blue-collar folks eking out an existence in America’s rust belt, this is the song for you. There’re too many brilliant vignettes of misery to pick just one, so I’ll settle for the song’s summation:

“In Dayton Ohio or Portland Maine

Or a cotton gin out on the great high plains

That’s done closed down along with the school

And the hospital and the swimming pool

Dust devils dance in the noonday heat

There’s rats in the alley and trash in the street

Gang graffiti on a boxcar door

We can’t make it here anymore.”

“Memorial Day” is another standout, a demonstration of how McMurtry is a master of telling a narrative that is specific to one family’s holiday experience, but evocative of all. Like a master DJ, McMurtry has great landing lines that complete a melody, a rhyme and a stark truth. You can feel that last line coming like a train in the distance, and when it finally arrives it hits with full impact, like this:

“Daddy's in the big chair sippin' on a cold beer

Grandma's cuttin' a switch

She overheard Mary cussin' her brother

Called him a son of a bitch

She got a good green limb off a sweet gum sapling

Man that's bound to sting

“But Mary don't cry just stands there and takes it

Doesn't seem to feel a thing

No Mary don't cry, you know she's a big girl

Wonder what made her so mad

She takes those licks looking in through the den door

Staring right straight at her dad.”

The best part about these stanzas is how they tell half the story, and let your mind imagine the rest. I imagine there’s a whole host of complex relationships going on here, and more than a few secrets, but not even the sting of the switch is bringing it to light this Memorial Day.

For all of this brilliance, the album is a bit uneven in places. “See the Elephant” is supposed to capture childlike exuberance but it felt like a forced metaphor, and it doesn’t help it is the lead song on the record. “Holiday” is a great song, but it made for one too many ‘family gathering’ vignettes on a single album. I’d have saved this one for another record if I’d been in the control room.

Overall this is another James McMurtry classic. He won’t blow the doors off with his vocals, and he’s not pretty like some new country hunk, but he writes one hell of a story, and sings it in a way that makes you want to hear it multiple times over.

Best tracks: Childish Things, We Can’t Make It Here Anymore, Restless, Memorial Day, Old Part of Town

CD Odyssey Disc 1305: Guy Clark

I’m in the middle of a pretty wonderful long weekend. It’s raining right now, but I like the rain. The variety of spring and fall are more appealing to me than the sunny days of summer, lovely as they are.

But enough about the weather…let’s talk about the dark.

Disc 1305 is… The Dark

Artist: Guy Clark

Year of Release: 2002

What’s up with the Cover? Sometimes in the dark, all you have is yourself. I think that’s what this fingerprint on black is saying. Anyway, the cover is stark and plain and honest, much like songs on this record.

How I Came to Know It: Guy Clark has an amazing website where you can listen to every album he has ever released for free. It is user friendly and welcoming, and encouraged me to go through his whole discography – 13 albums in all. “The Dark” was part of that journey.

How It Stacks Up:  At the end of the experience I found six albums that inspired me enough to purchase. Of those, “The Dark” ranks #1, bumping early favourite (and my first purchase) “Dublin Blues”. This being the last of my Guy Clark reviews, here’s a recap:

1. The Dark: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
2. Dublin Blues: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 322)
3. Texas Cookin’: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 819)
4. Cold Dog Soup: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 762)
5. Somedays the Song Writes You: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 655)
6. South Coast of Texas:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 582)

Ratings: 4 stars

A lot of artists do their best work early in their careers, but Guy Clark is like a fine scotch; he just gets better with age. Counting forward from his first record in 1975, that means “The Dark” is a refined 27 years old. The result is a record with homespun wisdom of an experienced songwriter, combined with songs that make you shiver with the truth.

Guy Clark is one of those artists whose reputation among his peers far exceeds his commercial success. His songs have been recorded by the likes of Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris, but there’s a good chance you didn’t realize it at the time. For those in the know (including those three), Clark is one of country music’s finest songwriters. His voice is a bit gravelly and lacks range, but when you’re working with songs this good it is easy to forgive.

Clark plays guitar on all these tracks as well. He plays with a back-porch mosey that matches well to his vocal style. The overall effect gets your ear focused on the stories Guy’s telling, which is the best way to enjoy this music.

On “The Dark” Clark’s stories run the gamut. Character studies and historical fiction stand alongside songs of love and social justice, all lifted to a high level by Clark’s keen observation, and talent for making small details feel like universal truths.

“Magnolia Wind” is one of the finest love songs you’ll ever hear. If you have someone you don’t want to lose, this song will put some tightness in your throat. The song is replete with the images of loss, none better than:

“I’d rather not walk through the garden again

If I can’t catch your scent on a magnolia wind.”

“Soldier’s Joy, 1864” tells the story of a civil war veteran who becomes addicted to morphine while recovering from horrific wounds. The story is entirely from the soldier’s perspective but shines a light on the horror of both addiction and war with equal dignity.

Themes of aging and the wear of the world feature prominently on “The Dark”. On “Bag of Bones” where an old man opines “this old bag of bones ain’t really me/there’s a lot more standin’ here than what you see” and on “Homeless” Clark alternates the viewpoint of someone who has lost everything, with the people walking callously by and looking the other way.

My favourite track is “Queenie’s Song,” which tells the story of someone shooting the narrator’s dog on New Year’s Day. The song starts harsh and stays that way, as Clark provides the perfect mix of futile anger and sadness at the crime:

“Some S.O.B. shot my dog, I found her under a tree

If I hadn’t loved that dog so much it wouldn’t mean nothin’ to me

You son-of-a-bitch, I’m gonna tell you what, I will not be deterred

I’ll find you out and I’ll track you down, on that you have my word.

“Queenie’s getting’ buried, it’s time to dig the hole

New Year’s Day in Santa Fe broke mean, and it broke cold.”

I’m an avowed cat person, but damn – this one gets to me every time.

Late on the album Clark covers fellow country great and close friend Townes Van Zandt’s “Rex’s Blues”. Van Zandt died in 1997, far too young. Clark died in 2016 which is still too damned soon as far as I’m concerned. We’ll get no more great songs from either of them now, but of all of the great albums Guy Clark left behind, “The Dark” is the best of them.

Best tracks: Arizona Star, Magnolia Wind, Soldier’s Joy 1864, Homeless, Bag of Bones, Queenie’s Song, The Dark

CD Odyssey Disc 1304: The Weepies

The days are getting shorter and the weather’s getting colder, but this next band served to brighten my spirits.

Disc 1304 is… Be My Thrill

Artist: The Weepies

Year of Release: 2010

What’s up with the Cover? Dear God, what is that thing? At first I thought it was a mutated sheep, but Sheila suggests it is an albino warthog. It is supposed to be cute, but it looks more like nightmare fuel to me.

How I Came to Know It: My friend Casey played some Weepies songs at a night of music listening a couple years ago. I really liked what he played and delved into their catalogue with enthusiasm. This was one of the records that emerged.

How It Stacks Up:  Last time I reviewed a Weepies album (January) I had two Weepies albums. Now I have three, and I’m on the lookout for a fourth. For now, “Be My Thrill” ranks third.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Be My Thrill” is candy for the soul. It doesn’t have a lasting emotional impact, but it is a tasty treat while you’re in the moment.

The band is composed of married duo Deb Talan and Steve Tannen. If their similar last names seem a bit too cute for mere coincidence, well, so does their music. They play indie pop that is – to quote from of the album’s songs – “made for sunny days.” Together they write light-hearted pop ditties that are sneaky good. Earworms that sound like they belong on the soundtrack of a romantic comedy. When they’re at their best, they make you feel like you’re in one.

Much like on their 2006 album “Say I Am You” (reviewed back at Disc 1221), the songs can have a melancholy twinge from time to time, but they handle sadness gently. The album’s first track, “Please Speak Well of Me” is a good example, a breakup song that asks for a parting on good terms, even though the circumstances were bad. The chorus sums up the Weepies well:

“Don’t say words that you don’t mean

When I’m gone please speak well of me.”

You couldn’t get much nicer if you tried. The narrator is both polite (she says ‘please’) and honest (she only wants her ex to say good things if they’re true). If only all break ups went this well.

“I Was Made for Sunny Days” is another standout; a whimsical love song filled with a folksy guitar strum and Deb Talan’s sweet lilting vocal. “Hummingbird” is another love song, this time with the up-tempo flutter evocative of its title. Themes of these songs aren’t any more complicated than “you make me happy” and the slightly more complicated “I’m a bit flighty, but not around you.” The songs feature happy conversation in the rain and thimbles filled with wine. It is just that damned dear, but so filled with love and kindness you don’t mind.

When the Weepies do try to get edgy, as they do on “How Do You Get High” the effort falls short. The groove is supposed to be ominous and insistent, but if it is digging deep, it’s only one thimble at a time. The song mostly had me wishing that there was a little more darkness on the record.

Of course, that’s the wrong thing to be wishing for. “Be My Thrill” is filled with stories that are snappy and fun. They are sneaky good as well, with a sparse production and a great sense of timing. They stick with you and encourage you to listen to them again. It isn’t easy to write pop songs this catchy.

No time is wasted either. The songs get going and done in a hurry, with the whole record clocking in at a fulsome 14 songs, but an easily digestible 38 minutes. Few exceed three minutes, and most are closer to two; sixties radio would have loved these two.

I loved them too, and while I like my other Weepies records slightly more, this one will definitely get pulled out on a dark winter evening or two, when I need a little extra sunshine.

Best tracks: Please Speak Well of Me, I Was Made For Sunny Days, Be My Thrill, Be My Honeypie, Hummingbird