Corey

Sharek

 

With all of the music being thrown at us from country radio, non-country radio, commercials on TV, internet, free CDs in the mail, and so on, it's hard to not get jaded and uninspired.  I often toe-the-line of love and adoration of music to totally burned out with all of it.  That said, it is nice to get a CD as enjoyable as Hayes Carll's Little Rock.

This album appears to have a multiple personality disorder.  At times it covers new roads, and other times it rides on the familiar white rock and gravel farm-to-markets, all the while sounding fresh and clean.  It exhibits a total lack of conceit and narcissism peppered with a tasteful dash of quirkiness.  I can imagine what my forebears felt when first hearing Jerry Jeff Walker.  Not to say that Mr. Carll is in any deliberate way sonically similar to Jerry Jeff, but they do share a lack of convention that is appealing.

R.S. Field, whose production credits include Webb Wilder (to which is definitely worth a listen if you like quirky), Allison Moorer, Todd Snider, John Prine, John Mayall, Billy Joe Shaver and Scott Miller, among others, headed up the production chores.  The mix is both sparse and full at the same time, with the guitars and auxiliary instrumentation rich and colorful, the rhythm section never out of place or overt, all of which designed to showcase the songs and Mr. Carll's performance artfully.

The CD starts with a song akin to loose fitting jeans. “Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long” shares many feelings we’ve all had of being in one place too long and tiring of the “same ‘ol”.  Hayes just happens to say it better than some of us can.

“Down The Road Tonight” is a song Mr. Carll will ultimately be associated with for a long time.  It is truly unique and original.  This is a great example of how the production can make a song happen.  The lyrics are definitely what you sink into, but the production makes sure that the song is understood for what it is.  For some, this song may not be their thing; for others, it’s the remedy that cures monotony.

The song, “Good Friends”, is next in the series of departures from the rest of the record.  It’s an old-time jazz-standard style track that mentions everything about his friends from law school to selling pot.  It’s a smiling song that is really yearning below the surface.

Maybe in another time and place, Robert Earl Keen could have written “Hey Baby Where You Been.”  But then again, I doubt that Mr. Keen’s been robbed in both Memphis and New York and notably influenced by the ordeal.  This is one of those songs that has lines that keep bringing me back to the word “quirky.”

“Rivertown” is the result of an effort shared by both Carll and Guy Clark.  This song may not catch the listener in the first take, but its no fault of the songwriting.  The choices that R.S. Field made bore a not-so-dark sounding song with midnight-dark prose guiding it.  Like “Down The Road Tonight”, the presentation may leave the listener with a “love it or hate it” reaction.

The opening lick of “Little Rock” simply jams.  It’s this riff, albeit oft used and bordering cliché, has a tone that makes it come alive.  This is textbook record-making synergy; the song, the artist and the producer all on the same page.

As was mentioned earlier, there are familiar paths trod within this CD.  “Leave Here Standing” and “Take Me Away” are friendly reminders of why we like our kind of music.

What's most surprising is that collaboration with Ray Wylie Hubbard yielded such an irreverent song such as "Chickens".  One would expect a song about prison or death or conversations with netherworld denizens, not an ode to eating poultry.  This CD is sprinkled with references of eating chicken, moonbeam pies and sweet potatoes.  Perhaps this is a starving artist’s subliminal message of needs gone unmet?

This is not the greatest Americana record ever written, recorded or produced.  But, it may be the best record to come out since the last refreshing record came out.  You can order it through his website at http://www.hayescarll.com/.

Grade:  A

Corey Sharek, May, 2005

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Track Listing
1. Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long
2. Take Me Away
3. Down The Road Tonight
4. Good Friends
5. Hey Baby Where You Been
6. Rivertown
7. Little Rock
8. Leave Here Standing
9. Sit In With The Band
10. Long Way Home

Click here to read a review of Hayes Carll's first CD, Flowers & Liquor

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