Showing posts with label Austin Lucas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin Lucas. Show all posts

Oct 6, 2016

Top 25 Albums of 2016: Trailer's 3/4 Report

 

Here's my top 25 list. It's fluid, as always, so this is just how I'm feeling about them today. 
The year-end list will be a composite from Farce the Music contributors, so it will look a lot 
different than this. There are also nearly 3 months more of new music to sort through... ~Trailer

Trailer's Top 25 Albums of 2016: 3/4 Report

1. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
2. Lori McKenna - The Bird and the Rifle
3. Flatland Cavalry - Humble Folks
4. Brandy Clark - Big Day in a Small Town
5. Austin Lucas - Between the Moon and the Midwest
6. St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Sea of Noise
7. Justin Wells - Dawn in the Distance
8. Cody Jinks - I'm Not the Devil
9. Caleb Caudle - Carolina Ghost
10. Kelsey Waldon - I've Got a Way
11. Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth
12. Gojira - Magma
13. Lydia Loveless - Real
14. Luke Bell - s/t
15. Robert Ellis - s/t
16. Rob Baird - Wrong Side of the River
17. Drive-by Truckers - American Band
18. Mark Chesnutt - Tradition Lives
19. Quaker City Night Hawks - El Astronauta
20. Bonnie Raitt - Dig in Deep
21. Hayes Carll - Lovers and Leavers
22. Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter
23. Western Centuries - Weight of the World
24. BJ Barham - Rockingham
25. Loretta Lynn - Full Circle

Aug 1, 2016

Road Dispatch: Austin Lucas & Matt Woods


Road Dispatch: Austin Lucas & Matt Woods
A Study in Contrasts, Live and on Eight Legs, 
at the Earl in Atlanta

By Kevin Broughton

One of the benefits of being in Farce the Music’s stable of reviewers/critics is regularly getting turned on to new artists.  Yes, many friends consider me a “music snob” (if not a general butthole) for my sneering at their infantile tastes, and I wear that badge (well, the “music snob” one) proudly. I haven’t listened to music on commercial radio in years, and Outlaw Country is pre-set #1 (channel 60) on my Sirius/XM receiver. Still, all it takes is a periodic email from FTM Boss man/Editor “Trailer” to make me feel like a noob.

The names in an email soliciting reviews might as well be “some guy,” “this one band,” “her,” and “them.”

That’s how I discovered Austin Lucas, and stumbled onto the best country album of the year. And through him, I met another amazing artist I’d never heard of.  And of course, the ubiquitous Sally.

Lucas and Matt Woods (formerly “Who’s This Guy?” to me) played The Earl – an iconic Atlanta venue -- in mid-July on their “Live on Eight Legs” tour.  


 The solo acoustic twin bill was a delightful study in contrasts of elite songwriters whose catalogs stand up just fine in an intimate setting without a band’s support.

Woods, a scruffy, husky East Tennessean, ambled through an hour-long set of poignant songs punctuated with witty observations, sometimes at his own expense. (Imagine Steve Earle with a sense of humor, as tough as that is.)  He revealed what might have been the moment he became destined to be an artist. Glued to the TV as a youngster, “There was Conway Twitty, in a dark suit with that long, skinny-handled microphone. He was drippin’ sweat and singin’ about gettin’ busy. I knew I had a chance. ” His natural connection with the audience is one of the first things you notice; well, after the bracing vocals on songs like “Johnny Ray Dupree,” a murder ballad that does Earle’s “Billy Austin” one better.

“I spent the better part of the last two years living out of a backpack,” Woods notes, “supporting my album With Love From Brushy Mountain.” He explains that Brushy Mountain is the state pen down the road from his childhood home “and it scared the shit out of me.” He then does a rousing version of that album’s title cut, itself a fine murder ballad. He previewed his upcoming album How To Survive (October 7 release date) with “The American Way,” a painful, increasingly all too common tale of a veteran trying in vain to re-adjust to civilian life.

But it was “Dead Man’s Blues,” FTM’s Song of the Year in 2013, that closed Woods’ portion of the service, and it definitely had an altar-call feel, with an enraptured  audience-turned-choir joining him on the last chorus for a full throated a cappella finish.

Lucas would do him one better on a closing number, but first he had an album’s worth of new material to introduce. Actually, the songs came just after Sally settled in for the show.

Sally in her stage-side seat

Lucas, not shy about discussing his own issues with anxiety and depression, has an emotionally interdependent relationship with his best friend; they’d each be lost without one another. So, with Sally ensconsed in his guitar case, Lucas began his own hour-long set.

It’s one thing to hear a professionally produced album with great songs and top-flight instrumentalists; without them, Between the Moon and the Midwest wouldn’t be the great record that it is. It’s another thing entirely, though, to see it put to the test in a small room with nothing but a guitar and a microphone. Producer Joey Kneisser did a fabulous job on it, but he didn’t use studio sleight of hand or any other gimmicks.  One after another, a balanced mix of songs from the new album and 2013’s Stay Reckless poured out of Lucas and filled up the room. During one of them, he hit the brakes suddenly, paused for a beat or two, and then started belting the opening lines of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

And he freaking killed it. I mean Steve-Perry-note-for-note-not-in-a-lower-key smoked that thing. “That’s the number one downloaded song of all time, and if you don’t like Journey, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,”* he said, before resuming his song.

You can’t fake that.

“Some of y’all know,” Lucas said, as he readied to close the show, “that I have issues with anxiety and depression, so I’d like everybody to gather around.” The 50 or so in attendance complied (including Matt Woods & me at the back of the crowd), as he unplugged his guitar and stood down from the microphone. (At this point Sally got up from the guitar case, stretched, then lay down in the middle of the stage.) It was time for another sing-along, this time the touchingly sweet “Alone in Memphis.” And for a few moments, artist and audience – every one of them – had a genuinely spiritual connection.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better pair of artists – so dedicated to the craft – for a night of singing and songwriting excellence. And serious live music fans should hope that “Live on Eight Legs” gets an encore tour, sooner rather than later.  


 ----------------------


*Journey is the worst band of all time – maybe second-worst behind Poison – but he may have a bit of a point here. And he freaking crushed that song.


Jul 7, 2016

Favorite Albums of 2016: Mid-Year Report

This is Trailer's list of favorite albums. The year-end list will look a lot different because all 
Farce the Music's contributors will vote on it, there will be actual write-ups of the top albums, 
and besides... there are 6 more months in the year. 



 

 







11. Bonnie Raitt - Dig in Deep
12. Hayes Carll - Lovers and Leavers
13. Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter
14. Quaker City Night Hawks - El Astronauta
15. Western Centuries - Weight of the World
16. Loretta Lynn - Full Circle
17. Deftones - Gore
18. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book
19. The Temperance Movement - White Bear
(out July 22)
20. Parker Millsap - The Very Last Day
21. Band of Horses - Why Are You OK?
22. Larry Hooper - No Turning Back
23. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Let Me Get By
24. Southern Family
25. Robbie Fulks - Upland Stories
26. Candlebox - Disappearing in Airports
27. Arliss Nancy - Greater Divides
28. Dub Miller - The Midnight Ambassador
29. Chris King - Animal
30. Randy Rogers Band - Nothing Shines Like Neon
31. Wheeler Walker Jr. - Redneck Shit
32. The Honeycutters - On the Ropes
33. Rival Sons - Hollow Bones
34. YG - Still Brazy
35. The Cactus Blossoms - You're Dreaming
36. Mavis Staples - Livin' on a High Note
37. The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust
38. Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland
39. Bonnie Bishop - Ain't Who I Was
40. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity

May 23, 2016

Austin Lucas: Fighting Uphill, Somewhere Between the Moon and the Midwest

By Kevin Broughton


Austin Lucas was gonna do a concept album. And he was gonna do it how he wanted, by God, no matter who or what got in his way. Turns out just about everything did. Inspired to follow up 2013’s critically acclaimed Stay Reckless in a big and different way and backed by a respected indie label, Lucas laid down the tracks about two and a half years ago.

So why is Between the Moon and the Midwest – released this coming Friday on the Last Chance label – just now seeing the light of day? It’s complicated to say the least. It would appear Karma or some other hateful trollop laid an impressive mine field in front of him, then started lobbing mortars while he zigzagged through it, just for kicks. All can be thankful for Lucas’s persistence, presented now as we are with the most authentic country vocals since – and maybe before -- Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music – and this statement itself is ironic.

The Bloomington, Indiana native and son of songwriter-producer Bob Lucas (best known for his work with Allison Krause), didn’t come by his heart-piercing, poignant tenor by mere genetic-lottery luck. His dad had him taking operatic & choral lessons at a tender age, and he spent a half-dozen years in the Indiana University Children’s Choir. His musical compass, though, would seem to be instinctive, so again, he knew where he wanted to go with this record.

He says the concept itself is based on him and some childhood friends. The songs were written during and after the end of a toxic marriage, and the crippling heartbreak pours out of them as it must’ve from him at the time. Along the way he managed to get sober – and quit cigarettes too, so he may not be human – and serve up some commentary on the state of the industry.  Lyrically born of personal pain, the musical vision came from some weed brownie-induced moments of terror on Willie Nelson’s tour bus. Vocally? His pipes are on par with and at times outshine those of the neo-traditionalist troika of Stapleton/Isbell/Simpson. The year’s not yet half over, but somebody better pack a lunch if he wants to displace this as the best country album of 2016.

The second verse of the album’s opening cut, “Unbroken Hearts,” begins “Ain’t no golden Cadillacs for boys like me who open up our hearts.” Lucas, 37, would know, because he surely ain’t scared to open up. He’s an expansive guy…

It’s not a secret that some of these songs were written while you were going through a divorce/separation, but the album seems pretty thematic. Specifically, “Unbroken Hearts” laments the dearth of traditional, sad country songs – as it ushers in eight or ten of them. Did making this album serve some sort of a dual purpose, being cathartic while making a statement the music industry?

Some of it was accidental, and some of it was fate. The record is a concept album, which is why you hear the same names and some of the same melodies over and over. When I started writing this in 2011, it was right after getting off the road with Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson. When I was told I was going on tour with Willie, I went and dug into his catalog even harder than I would normally. And of course, Red Headed Stranger is one of the greatest albums recorded in the history of mankind. And as I was listening to it over and over, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to do another country concept album, with recurring themes and recurring melodies.”

I also happened to be miserable in the marriage I was in. So I took it as an opportunity to write songs that weren’t “really” about me and my wife – you know, “it’s a concept album, they’re characters” -- so she wouldn’t hear the songs and take them personally. Now, she had a lot of problems and I don’t want to talk about them…and in the end, I ended up with a lot of problems because of the mental duress I’d put myself through during our relationship. When we actually split up, it freed me up to talk about it, and I actually had a massive creative spurt, and out came Stay Reckless, my last album.

So immediately after that record was done and the album cycle had run, I began this body of work.  This album’s conception was in the summer of 2011, and it’s been recorded since September 2014. This record’s been finished forever.

No kidding?

Yeah. You asked about the state of the music industry; I wrote the album with three characters in mind, and both of the male characters are me. Actually they’re both different sides of me. One of them is the hopeless romantic who wants to stay home and have a normal relationship, and the other one’s this reckless, pretty much failed musician who keeps on being told there’s no fucking place for him in the music industry.

So when I wrote “Unbroken Hearts,” I had a record label. They were giving me a hard time, but I had a label. So when I wrote that song, I was like “this is just a character.” When I turned that album in, there was a new president coming in. The sitting president had approved the album; it went forward and it was being pressed, with posters and CDs and all that. The new president came in, heard it, and said “I don’t hear a single, go back to the studio.”

I said, “Uh, there are about four singles on this fucking record.”

And they let me go. So the song ended up being very relevant to my personal life. Now when I sing it, every single word is my fucking life.  And it’s really interesting how art became reality.

Wow. This is at New West? Wow.

Yep. New West Records said, “We don’t hear a single.” Are you fucking kidding me?

I have to ask about the song “William.” I don’t know how many songs about cuckolding I can name, but there’s not a more brutal and graphic one. Care to dive into that one a little?

Well, that song is the song that started the record. Uh, I don’t wanna go into details about what was going on. Obviously, I was not sleeping with my best friend’s wife. My best friend was not sleeping with my wife. But…I was almost positive that things were going on. I wrote that song because I had fears, and that’s just what came out.   I hope my best friend wasn’t putting it to my wife…but you know, I suffer from anxiety and depression, and my mind goes to really dark places. Even if those places have no basis in reality; that’s just a thing that happens to me.

I’ve gotten better at managing my positivity. I quit drinking, I don’t do white drugs anymore…I don’t smoke. I’m a different person than I was. But especially back in 2011 when I was still partying pretty hard and didn’t realize how much my anxiety was affecting me, my brain was able to go to those kinds of places.

How has sobriety impacted your craft?

[Starts and stops a couple times as he ponders] It’s made me work harder. I’m not as lazy now. You know, I work out all the time. I ride my bike everywhere. I take an MMA class.

Really?

Yeah, it’s Thai boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and American boxing all together. I jog. I go hiking every day with my dog. And with my writing, I’m not as lazy. There was a time when I was like “Okay! Song’s done!” I’m much better at self-editing. I’ll take songs and just hammer and hammer on them. It’s made me a little bit more verbose. A lot of that remains to be seen, though, and y’all probably won’t get a taste of that till a year after this.

There’s a psychedelic edge to a several of these cuts including the opener, with that ethereal feedback deal at the beginning. Is that Austin Lucas putting his imprint on the traditional genre?

Yeah, it is. I wanted to create these spacey soundscapes. I’ve listened to a lot of different music, and I come from – well, first I come from a traditional and bluegrass background because of my dad. He put me into opera and choir when I was a kid, so I had a classical influence. Then when I was 12 I discovered punk. Then metal and of course all different kinds of rock ‘n’ roll. Some of my favorite music was Beatles and Beach Boys records…glam stuff like T Rex and Bowie. This has all been part of my musical life.

So when I was trying to figure out how to make this record, like I said, I was on tour with Willie Nelson.  And all the guys on the tour bus, they all came back from a day out on somebody’s boat, and they were high as hell on weed brownies.

And they were saying, “Austin, Austin, eat a weed brownie, c’mon, do it!” And I said, “Heh. Alright.”

I don’t smoke weed. I don’t eat it. It makes me paranoid, but I wanted to be part of the party. And then all of those fuckers went to sleep. They left me alone on the tour bus, right as it was leaving. I couldn’t even get out and smoke a cigarette. So I crawl into my bunk and of course I can’t sleep, and I just hit “random” on my iPod.  And it’s just cycling through: Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, T Rex, then the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. All these songs were together and it all made sense to me, because I was high.

Is that not a testament to the power of weed brownies?

I guess that it is. Because I was like, “All of this music goes together. And I can make all this music go together.” And when I went to make this record, I had it in my mind exactly what I wanted to do. But it almost got derailed, and I’ll tell you why.

We went into pre-production for this record in April of 2014. And [Sturgill Simpson’s] “Turtles All The Way Down” dropped like two weeks after we went into pre-production.

Amazing. That’s another record I was fixin’ to ask you about, but go ahead…

So, I’m sittin’ there and listening to “Turtles All the Way Down,” and I’m like, “Fuck, dude! This guy is making a fucking psychedelic country record,” which wasn’t in existence at the time I was thinking of doing it. And I’ve been a Sturgill fan for a long time. Sunday Valley…their album and one of mine were up for Country Album of the Year in 2011 from Saving Country Music. I’ve been listening to him from the moment he went solo and enjoying him.

So I’m like, “Here’s the new Stu record, cool,” and lo and behold he’s doing the same thing I was trying to do, so I almost nixed it.  But then I heard the whole record. And know what? His whole album isn’t psychedelic, and it’s certainly not a concept record, so we’re not really doing the same thing. Plus my songs are story songs, and his are much more structure songs.  We both exist in this same pantheon, this rich, beautiful tapestry of country music, but it’s a different approach. So I said, green light, let’s go, and you know this album would have come out in February of 2015 if I hadn’t been dropped by New West Records.

If only you’d had a single.

Yeah, if only. So, I got dropped.

Then I had to go about buying the record back. And literally everything bad that could happen to an artist’s career happened to me in one fell swoop: Parted ways with my manager. Had to find a new lawyer. Dropped by my agent. Then my label dropped me. I went from having a team to slammed right back down to the bottom with nothing.

What’s your relationship with Joey Kneiser? How crucial was his production to getting this album to go in the direction you wanted?

Absolutely massive. He’s the first producer I’ve worked with who was so involved for such a long period of time. Usually I go into the studio for three weeks, then I’m out. We started pre-production in April and finished tracking in September. He and I were in each other’s pockets throughout the process. And it’s not just him, but it’s my band.* But he definitely has that psychedelic ear, and when I was thinking about this concept, he said, “I really think we can do this. I know how to create the soundscapes, and I think we can do a really good job with this.”

And he had never done something this ambitious before; he’s produced records, but never something like this, and especially something that was going to be a leap on a major indie label. So, giving him the keys was definitely a leap of faith and I don’t think my faith was misplaced.

A question about the state of the industry as it applies to singer/songwriters like you. Music Row has been the domain of bros trying to out-douche each other with these fucking songs about trucks and dirt roads and shit. Now guys like Stapleton and Isbell are winning Grammys.  Is that cause for hope for songwriters making music with actual integrity? Do you think a corner might have been turned, or is being turned?

I hope so. I think people have been getting tired of the same old/same old, and it was only a matter of time before it was gonna boil over.

You know, this has happened before, many times. You think about these eras of great country music and great music in general, and they’re brief. They’re in between periods of just awful stuff. There are thousands of artists who had hits that were huge in their time, but no one ever thinks about anymore. And that holds true for all genres of music. But pop music and country have always played off of each other.

Today, modern pop music is absolutely, horrifically vapid and un-creative and robotic. It was only a matter of time before modern “country” music took on those characteristics, and it did, in spades. And that’s why we have this bro country stuff. But I think a lot of people are turning on the radio and not liking what they’re hearing, and it’s a shock to their system, and they’re forced to go seek out other artists.

Hey, I used to work on music row. There are good writers there, and there are bad writers there. There are some good executives with good ideas, who are trying to push good ideas, but you know what? It’s all corporate music, and I don’t give a fuck about corporate music. The music I love and the artists I respect don’t have a shot of being on radio, anyway, so I’m just going to keep staying the course.

I mean, this album is as “country” as it gets. Surely there’s a way to get it slipped into the rotation of a mainstream country station or two? It’s where it would belong if some of these motherfuckers would realize you can have quality and integrity at one time.

Or, if I hadn’t been dropped by a record label with the resources to push it. I mean, I’ve got a wonderful record label right now with great distribution and they really care about me. And it’s a great roster; I’m in awesome company. But we don’t have the resources of some of the other labels, and for this record to do anything, fans are gonna have to be really loud about it.

So yes, my record might have that kind of potential, given the right treatment. Is that possible? Heck, I don’t know. Will people believe in it enough that they’re gonna bang the drum so that folks will have to start paying attention? I don’t know. It’s great that you feel strongly about it, but that doesn’t mean other people will.

I’m gonna do the album cycle like always, and get out there for the fans, and hope to pick up support. We’re fighting a very uphill battle. I hope that we can win it. If we can’t, at the end of the day, I’m just a dude who goes out and plays for good people every day, whether it’s for 15 or 150.

I know musicians who haven’t had to have a day job for 30 years, and they’re largely content, if always struggling to make a living. If you could sit down and map out how your career would go from this point forward, what would it look like, given all the industry givens?

Hmmm. You want best case or worst case?

Why don’t you give me both?

I’ve always wanted to be a theater artist. And that’s because I do so much work that’s just me and the guitar. So I’ve always been hopeful that I could just get into theaters of whatever size, just so I’d be in front of people who wanted to hear me play and they were there to listen.

When you play rock clubs, the hardest thing is getting people’s attention. It’s a real job just go get people to shut up and hear the words coming out of your mouth.

I would imagine so.

Yeah. So I wouldn’t mind playing rooms where I don’t have to work so hard. And not that I don’t “work hard,” but it’s so nice to play someplace where people are already looking at you, and you don’t have to fight them, or convince them that you’re worth paying attention to. So it would be great if I could get to where I was playing, you know, 1,000-seat theaters. I’d love it if I could play those places and do a three-night stand, so I could spend some time and not have to be someplace new every single day.

But…worst-case scenario, things stay like they are right now. I have fans all over the world. I tour all over the world. My fans are energetic and beautiful. Ten years ago a friend asked me what I wanted. I said, “I’d like it if everywhere I went, somebody knew who I was and was excited to see me. And I’d like to own my home.”

And you know, both of those things have happened. I’ve bought a house, being a fulltime musician. No matter where I go, I’ve always got fans. I may only play to five people, but those five are excited as hell they’re gettin’ to see me.

And I’ll tell you what: There are worse places to be.

------------
Pre-Order Austin Lucas’s Between The Moon And The Midwest right here. This album is astoundingly good. When you pre-order, you’ll get “Unbroken Hearts,” the opening track, early. Here’s a clip of Austin doing a solo acoustic version in Germany. Get a feel for his vocals, if you’re on the fence about buying the record.  And here’s “Kristy Rae” as well.


(*Bass - Alex Mann; Guitars - Ricky Izzo-White; Drums - Aaron Persinger; Pedal Steel - Steve Daly. And about a half-dozen harmony-singers, Lydia Loveless bearing special mention for “Wrong Side of the Dream.)

 **All photos from Austin Lucas' website.

May 18, 2016

Austin Lucas Performs "Unbroken Hearts"

From his forthcoming album Between the Moon and the Midwest.

Dec 30, 2013

FTM's Favorite Albums of 2013: 1-20




1. John Moreland - In the Throes
John Moreland writes razor edged lines that grab your attention and tear your heart out. Next time you listen to the same song, you'll notice that the following line was just as good - you just happened to miss it marveling at the previous one. In fact, there's hardly a throwaway line on the whole of In the Throes, and nary a song worth skipping. The mood of the record certainly wasn't right to be my album of the year (it's been a rough one), but the best is the best, regardless of tempo or context. In the Throes is pretty low-key and gray in emotional content, but it's just too good to be denied. Moreland has distilled all his strengths (with the exception of his rocking side, which is also very strong) into this stunning work of great craft and heart which stands deservingly as FTM's #1 album of 2013. Standouts: All of them, but if I must pick, 3:59 and Blacklist.



2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Southeastern is a modern classic. This is an inescapable truth arrived at by a tidal wave of critical approval and fan appreciation. Jason Isbell is Americana's Entertainer of the Year and Southeastern is the Album of the Year; I don't care what any official organizations say. Isbell has done more positive for the genre than anyone else, including the folk-renaissance dudes who actually got radio play. "Elephant" is incredible and if it didn't mist your eyes at some point this year, I don't know …maybe your heart is way too tiny, Mr. Grinch. "Traveling Alone" is remarkable and romantic. "Relatively Easy" is insightful on a personal and wide scope. Southeastern is a masterpiece and what's scary is that Isbell is probably just getting started.


3. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain
Sturgill Simpson may not be the savior of country music, but he sure looks and sounds the part. This laid-back Kentuckian has the voice of an outlaw country god to go alongside his witty and insightful writing style. His songs are sorrowful, heartfelt, clever and self-deprecating, sometimes within the same tune. He probably gets a bit tired of the Waylon comparisons, but if there's a modern incarnation of that legend, Simpson has the talent and grit to at least make a valiant go at filling those shoes. High Top Mountain is an essential edition to any fan of real country music's collection. Standouts: You Can Have the Crown, Old King Coal.



4. Arliss Nancy - Wild American Runners
There is female frontal nudity on the cover of Arliss Nancy's stellar Wild American Runners. That it took someone pointing that out for me to even notice it speaks to the substance over style aesthetic of this hard-rocking, hard-living band. Sliding into the punk meets country standard-bearer position of early Lucero, the already musically strong Arliss Nancy has taken their songwriting to a new level with their 3rd release. "Vonnegut" and "Nathaniel" are among the best songs released in any genre this year. The former's "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt" is one of the most affecting codas I've ever heard.



5. Drew Kennedy - Wide Listener
Full disclosure: I consider Drew Kennedy a friend. He's a good dude who I've had the opportunity to hang out with before, during and after a few shows here in Mississippi. That said, I've never let that affect my reviews or feelings about his music.  As much as I've listened to him (Last.fm says I've played his songs 1,654 times), I still always find his songs to take some time to "get." Maybe it's Drew's poetic style or his unique vocals, but every time I hear his music, it's a new experience. To me, that's the mark of a great artist, and Wide Listener is his strongest and most layered work to date. The fact that he brought in a few co-writers this time around doesn't change the artistic vision or stylistic voice of Kennedy's work. Standouts: Hello Goodbye, Jackson Square.



6. Run the Jewels - s/t (still free!)
Killer Mike and EL-P's last albums were among my favorites of 2012. Putting two of my favorite rappers together on a full album sounds like a no-brainer, but chemistry isn't guaranteed, even between two creative artists with similar takes on hip-hop. Thankfully, Run the Jewels may even be better than the sum of its parts… and its respective parts are already cream of the crop.  This is a party album with a ton of boasts and brags, but it never plays to the "bling and booty" crowd. It's a smart take on culture and good times that's full of memorable lines, but also cohesive songwriting. The production is dirty, raucous and bass-driven, but never aggressively off-putting (like that of a certain rapper on top of everybody's else's lists). I've listened to this album more than any other in 2013 and it looks like 2014 will be another year of RTJ as they've already announced a follow-up.
Standouts: Sea Legs, Banana Clipper



7. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories
Brandy Clark may not be the savior of country music but… wait, this sounds familiar. In country's "year of the woman" (critically not commercially, unfortunately), Clark stood at the forefront, at least for me. Kacey Musgraves might be the most recognizable face of the movement, but Clark is the most vital part of it. Her songwriting is superb, from the knowing ache of "What'll Keep Me Out of Heaven" to the smart-assed wit of "Stripes," she knows her way around a hook and through the ins and outs of the human condition. She's not the stone country throw-back that a Sturgill Simpson is; Clark is what country music should sound like in 2013 if it had evolved without so many greedy influences mutating the DNA. 12 Stories is a progressive work of heart and humor that honors its predecessors while gracefully arching towards the horizon.



8. Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless
Austin Lucas was a drain on my emotions this year. His post-divorce album, Stay Reckless, is mostly a shaded journey through loneliness and acceptance. There are great rockers like "Alone in Memphis" but again… alone. Lucas never sounded better, his voice aching with expression most singers could only dream of. "Splinters," an exploration of the uncertain reasons for the end of a relationship, is a deflating but gorgeous way to end the album on the saddest note possible.
Thanks a lot, Austin.



9. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes and Angels
Fifth on the Floor is the quintessential southern rock band working today. Theirs is a powerful, distinct and gritty take on a sub-genre that has become increasingly tiresome in the hands of less skilled bands. Ashes & Angels mostly steers clear of cliche with strong lyrics, modern attitude, and a mission to bring the rock. Lead singer Justin Wells is a mountain of a man with a voice to match and his cohorts are all excellent players. From the raucous "Whiskey" to the soulful "Angels in the Snow" to the excellent My Morning Jacket cover, "One Big Holiday," Ashes & Angels is an excellent entry from the premier band still carrying the southern rock flag.




10. Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose
Nine songs wasn't enough unless Ashley Monroe's plan was to leave us wanting more. On that count, Like a Rose is a job well done. Monroe's earthen angel vocals and gracefully edgy writing made this an album to return to over and again. Confessional and universal at once, Like a Rose gave us modern sentiment wrapped in a timeless package. Monroe covers regret, crime, drinking, lost love and a marriage in need of a little spice. What more could you need in a country album? More songs maybe…  Standouts: Morning After, Two Weeks Late




11. The National - Trouble Will Find Me




12. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park




13. Shooter Jennings - The Other Life



14. Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork



15. Ha Ha Tonka - Lessons




16. Son Volt - Honky Tonk




17. Guy Clark - My Favorite Picture of You




18. Possessed by Paul James - There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely




19. Vince Gill and Paul Franklin - Bakersfield




20. Todd Farrell Jr. and the Dirty Birds - All Our Heroes Live in Vans

Sep 27, 2013

Best Albums of 2013: 3/4 Report


1. John Moreland - In the Throes

2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern


3. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

4. Drew Kennedy - Wide Listener


5. Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless

6. The Band of Heathens - Sunday Morning Record

7. Run the Jewels - s/t
(free if you click "Get It Now")

8. Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose


9. Shooter Jennings - The Other Life

10. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes & Angels

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