Christopher Lockett: “A Town We Painted Blue” (2024) CD Review

At the recent Bill Morrissey tribute concert, host Mike Berman asked Christopher Lockett to run sound for his set, joking that since Christopher is a filmmaker he’ll be able to handle the soundboard with ease. Christopher playfully reminded him that video and audio are two different things, but of course he did a great job on sound for Mike’s set, because in addition to being a filmmaker he is a talented musician and songwriter, with a great ear as well as a great voice. And on that day he used that great voice to deliver one of Bill Morrissey’s most beloved songs, “Birches.” Christopher released his self-titled debut album in 2009, and followed it in 2012 with Road Songs For The Restless, then in 2018 with Between The Dark And The Light, and in 2022 with At The Station. Between The Dark And The Light and At The Station were produced by Fernando Perdomo, who also produced Christopher Lockett’s latest album, A Town We Painted Blue. Fernando Perdomo not only produced it, but also plays lead guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and mandolin on these tracks. Christopher Lockett plays rhythm guitar, harmonica and Appalachian dulcimer, and is also joined by the incredible Scarlet Rivera on violin, Bob “Boo” Bernstein on pedal steel, Craig “Fergheart” Ferguson on mandolin and dobro, and Kitten Kuroi on backing vocals. Most of the songs on this album were written by Christopher Lockett.

Scarlet Rivera makes her presence felt and appreciated from the beginning of the first track, “A Town We Painted Blue,” the album’s title track, delivering some wonderful work. I love the title, by the way, a play on the idea of painting the town red. And that phrase is also used in the song’s first lines: “We painted the town red/The last time I came through/Now we both sit alone/In a town we painted blue.” And Christopher’s voice seems to speak for all of us. It has that sort of quality, both friendly and commanding, a voice of experience. “It’s up to the poets to revive the gods.” We get the sense he could do that if he so desired. Scarlet Rivera delivers a brief, but gorgeous lead in the track’s second half. Then “Santa Ana Winds Are Good For Cryin’” has more of a country feel, with prominent pedal steel work. This song has that wonderful southern California vibe that I love. This album came out several months before the recent fires, and this song’s title carries a different connotation now, for the Santa Ana winds brought cause for tears rather than the ability to dry them quickly. But I love that idea of standing in the winds, using them to hide one’s despair. This track features some really nice backing vocal work. Kitten Kuroi has worked with many artists over the years, and is probably best known for her work with Elvis Costello.

“No Wildwood Flower” features some great stuff on guitar right from its opening moments, which fits well with the song’s opening lines and its theme. “He picked up his papa’s guitar/Hoping there were still some songs left inside.” There is a wonderful feel to this song, in part because of that guitar work, but also because of the way it urges us “Find yourself a dancer and waltz through your days.” Life is so brief, so fill the days with music, with dancing, with that special someone. That’s where the joy of life is. Then “Death Ain’t Nothin’/No Mercy” comes as a surprise, with its strong pulse and its powerful bluesy force. This is the album’s sole cover, a combination of “Death Ain’t Nothing But A Thief And A Robber” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” delivered as a duet with Kitten Kuroi. It’s a fantastic, passionate and striking rendition. The track list on the CD case has the order wrong, listing “Dulcimer De Leche” as coming before “Death Ain’t Nothing/No Mercy,” but actually it follows that song. As you might guess from the title, this one features dulcimer. This instrumental track also features a nice bass line and some cool percussion. It has an uplifting, cheerful vibe.

“Aren’t you ever tempted to just close your eyes and slip away?” Christopher Lockett asks in “May Your Guitar Be Louder.” It’s a line that stands out to me, and I think we all feel like that from time to time. But here he also offers these lines: “May your guitar be louder/Than your demons tonight.” Oh yes! That’s just the sort of message we need to hear. On this track, guest Trevi Fligg joins Christopher on backing vocals, delivering some really good work. “Every choice you’ve made has brought you here/You know you’re the only one to blame/And a bad decision feels better/Than waiting on a grace that never came.” That’s followed by “Six Mile Saturday Night,” which features some sweet work on mandolin. “You never know where it’s gonna lead/But you gotta start somewhere/Might as well be on the dance floor/With the music in the air.” The song then takes the story forward several years, and there are now children. Yes, it started with magic, and somewhere along the way real life took over, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s life, right? And there is humor here, in lines like “The children were getting older/So of course they were too/It’s the chorus before the bridge/It’s just what you do.”

Scarlet Rivera delivers some beautiful work on violin on “Lamp Posts.” One of the song’s early lines that stands out is this: “A woman at the bar is louder than the band.” I’m sure anyone who has attended a decent number of concerts has encountered that woman, and probably at more than one bar. There is humor here also, which I appreciate: “My parents were right to send me to church/Everything worked out fine/The preacher bored the hell right out of me/Every single time.” Interestingly, the drumming here has the feel of a march, giving us the idea of inevitability, of some sort of steady progress. This song really speaks to me, in part because of this line: “My little hometown’s not so little anymore.” When I was growing up, my town had approximately 2,500 people; now there are 8,000. “I still carry this place with me wherever the wind blows.” That’s followed by “Suitcase Full Of Kisses,” a sweet number, a love song. “Gotta hold onto the love you’ve got when this ol’ world turns bad.” That is something to keep in mind, especially these days when so much has turned bad, so much has turned ugly in this country. This is a delightful song.

On the CD case, “Down By The Riverslide” is listed as the next track, but actually it’s “Force Multiplier,” a fun instrumental track that features some great stuff on harmonica. It has this delicious loose vibe, and it comes to an ending all too soon. Then we get “Down By The Riverslide,” the title a nice play on “Down By The Riverside.” This song has a good bluesy vibe, also containing some cool stuff on harmonica. The album concludes with “Long And Troubled Road,” which has a somber vibe, and is for all of us who feel we should be doing better, both personally and collectively. “Traded your sweat for money/Until it cost you your health/Maybe you’ve traveled on this road yourself.”

CD Track List

1. A Town We Painted Blue
2. Santa Ana Winds Are Good For Cryin’
3. No Wildwood Flower
4. Death Ain’t Nothin’/No Mercy
5. Dulcimer De Leche
6. May Your Guitar Be Louder
7. Six Mile Saturday Night
8. Lamp Posts
9. Suitcase Full Of Kisses
10. Force Multiplier
11. Down By The Riverslide
12. Long And Troubled Road

A Town We Painted Blue was released on September 28, 2024 on Gritbiscuit Records.