The album opens with “Frost On The South Side,” a song written by the duo of Thomm Jutz and Eric Brace. There is a gentle, pretty sound to this song, with some nice work on mandolin and fiddle. “In the skies above Alberta/A sad and lovely sight/Can’t blame a bird for going/Heading south on feathered wing/I’ll follow where they lead me/And listen when they sing.” This song touches upon machinery replacing manpower, a subject that seems relevant to all sorts of jobs these days with the coming of artificial intelligence. “Machine won’t break for supper/Machine will always win/I know that nothing ever stays/The way it was before/Time’s over for a man like me/Not needed anymore.” Will any of us be needed? One thing I love about those lines is the lack of an article before the word “Machine.” It is like “Machine” is the equivalent of a human name, which is striking, and fits perfectly with what these lines are saying. This track also contains some wonderful work on guitar. It is followed by “Burn,” which has a soft, intimate folk vibe as it starts. Here is a taste of the lyrics from early in the song: “Lost out in the woods/Where no one understood/Like the darkest corner in your mind/But it’s hard to explain/The nature of the game/When all you’ve got is hanging on the line.” The song’s main lines, “If you want to light the way/Burn,” are also remarkable, in part because of the delivery, that pause before that single word, “Burn.” This track features some sweet blending of voices. “Burn” was written by Finn Goodwin-Bain and Thomm Jutz.
“Simple Motion,” the album’s title track, was written by the duo, and features some strong vocal work. “Something keeps me up at night/That’s the reason why/Simple motion east to west/Take away my time of rest/From the flatland to the coast/Whistle crying like a ghost.” Ah yes, train imagery always seems to be effective in songs, doesn’t it? It reaches something inside even those of us who have never ridden a train across the country. This track also features some absolutely wonderful work on both guitar and dobro. I love these lines: “When I hear a train at night/Makes me wish for everything that’s gone.” Then “Outside Views” begins with some good work on guitar that I find kind of catchy and which pulls me in immediately. This song is, in part, about trying to write a song, and you know it isn’t always easy, as they tell us here: “Thought I’d sit down to write a rhyme/But I just can’t keep it on my mind/Ain’t heard a peep this morning/From my muse.” I love the honest delivery. This is one of my personal favorites. It was written by Mike Compton and Thomm Jutz.
“Just A Moment” was written by Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz and is a song about that brief moment in the morning before you remember that everything has changed, something most of us can relate to. “Don’t ask me the hour/I couldn’t give an answer/I’ve been gone/But I came back/The neighborhood is looking different.” The lyrics also make a reference to “My Favorite Things.” This track contains some nice work on guitar and banjo. It is followed by “Can’t Change The Weather.” This one is special, in part because it was written by Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz. Peter Cooper is still a presence on this album. Plus, it’s just a really good song, with some excellent work on guitar. It begins with these lines: “I was supposed to go somewhere/Flying on a plane/But the wind started howling/And then came the rain.” There are many things that are out of our control, and it’s best to not get too frustrated over those things. Easy to say, but difficult advice to follow, at least for me. “You can’t change the future/Poking around in the dregs/Come to think about it/Ain’t that much you can do/And if you can’t change the weather/Let the weather blow through.” Those are some great lines, right? This is a beautiful song.
“Anywhere But Here” has an easygoing vibe, like a horse in no hurry, but still moving across the plain. “Give me a ride to the train station/I’ll get out of your hair/I’ll get on the next one leaving/Goin’ anywhere, anywhere/Anywhere but here.” Leaving sounds so good sometimes, doesn’t it? And it does here, even as he sings, “I’ll pretend that my heart’s not breaking.” This track features some excellent vocal work, as well as some wonderful stuff on fiddle. It was written by Eric Brace, and is another of the disc’s highlights. Then “When London Was The World” has a fun, jazzy vibe right at the start. “I had this city swinging before it was a thing.” I believe it. This song is a delight. It has a light, joyful sound that make me smile every time I listen to it. It was written by Thomm Jutz and Eric Brace. They then turn more somber with “Adam & Eve” a song written by Thomm Jutz, Eric Brace and Bert Van Mourik. This is the track to feature accordion and tin whistle, giving the song a distinctive sound. “So sailors take heed/When you come or you leave/Steer clear of Adam and always hug Eve.”
“What you get for getting older/Is a little less time/But the miles mean so much more now/As you move on down the line/You’re losing the desire/To look back over your shoulder,” they sing at the beginning of “What We Get For Getting Older.” I know I’ve mentioned this before, but songs about aging are hitting me harder now than ever before, and are moving me more. And this is a beautiful song. Check out these lyrics: “All of those moments/Led you to this/Roads that you took/Turns that you missed/Enjoying the sand/As it slips through your hand/And earning the wisdom/To not give a damn.” This track contains some nice work on mandolin. This song was written by Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz, and Tammy Rogers also delivers some excellent stuff on fiddle. That’s followed by “Ramble,” another song about moving, about taking a new road, and another that is appealing. “You don’t need a train/And you don’t need a car/No, you don’t need a map/To show where you are/One foot, then the other/Don’t matter how far/Put on your shoes and ramble.” I also like these lines: “You don’t know what’s to come/What’s around the next bend/That’s exactly the point/The point, my friend/Of a ramble.” Oh yes, life as a journey. This song was written by Eric Brace.
“Arkansas” has a darker, more somber vibe, which is arresting from its first moments. “I know you’re on your way to Arkansas/And I hear he’s back in jail/Me, I’d leave him there to die/But I bet you’re posting bail.” There is an excellent instrumental section in the second half of the track. This one was written by Thomm Jutz and Eric Brace. It’s followed by “Nashville In The Morning.” This song does as its title suggests it will do, taking us to a morning in Nashville. We wake up to the images the song provides: “I see a girl with a guitar/Who’s wrapped inside a dream.” And the song has that relaxed feeling when the dreams are still present before the world begins to make its demands on our thoughts. I love that feeling when there is no rush to get out of bed, and that’s the vibe of this song. This one was written by Trey Hensley and Thomm Jutz. The album then concludes with a beautiful song titled “Sea Fever,” written by Eric Brace and John Masefield. “I must go down to the sea again/For the call of the running tide/Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied/And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying.”
CD Track List
- Frost On The South Side
- Burn
- Simple Motion
- Outside Views
- Just A Moment
- Can’t Change The Weather
- Anywhere But Here
- When London Was The World
- Adam & Eve
- What You Get For Getting Older
- Ramble
- Arkansas
- Nashville In The Morning
- Sea Fever
Simple Motion was released on February 16, 2024.
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