The album opens with "The Hard Way," which has a cool intro, feeling like the beginning of a fantastic roller coaster ride, preparing us. There is some delicious work on bass in that opening section. And then the song kicks in, rocking like a train blasting out of its station. Sure, there is a sense of bravado in the lyrics, but I don't think it's necessarily saying the hard way is the best way. "Well, luck of the Irish or divine fate, either way I survived/Now I'm kneelin' on my knees at the foot of my bed and I'm grateful I'm alive/But the shitty committee's still raising Cain in the back of my head/Lord, give me the sense not to jump the fence and wind up dead/And I did it the hard way." This song has a hard-hitting rock sound and a driving beat, with a strong bass line. The lyrics mention a "broke down palace," but I don't think it's intended as a Grateful Dead reference. Then "Night Brain" opens with some delicious blues guitar, with that sort of back porch feel. "It seems like every time I try to shut my eyes and go to sleep/Well, my night brain tortures me in my bed." Oh yes, that is something we can relate to, particularly these days. Soon the song kicks in to have a great, heavy blues rock sound, a thumping, pounding beat. There is something oddly catchy here, particularly in the rhythm. This song also features some good work on guitar and a powerful vocal performance. The lyrics mention that magical time of song, "4 a.m." (there are many songs that take place at that time). This is a great song for all of us who are having trouble getting a good night's sleep. How do we turn those thoughts off? Seems impossible in these unsettling and infuriating times.
"Talkin' Company Man Blues" kind of slides in, and features nice stuff on keys right from that first section. Matt Hubbard plays keyboards on this track. "Well, that was then, this is now/Ain't no consolation prize for you anyhow/Thirty years punching the clock/For a big steak dinner and a fake gold watch/Yes, we're living in troubled times." And though this song employs the dreaded "self"/"shelf" rhyme, here it doesn't even bother me; it actually works here. And yes, this song too kicks in, gathering more energy for the chorus. And check out that bass work. I am always happy to hear Ted Russell Kamp. There is also some good stuff on guitar. Plus, special guest Courtney Santana delivers some excellent backing vocal work here. "Yeah, the payoff is a ripoff/And the buyout, well, it's a sellout/And the cold call is the last call/'Cause there's nothing left to lose." That's followed by "Baby's Long Gone," which has a cool acoustic blues sound at the beginning and features a really good vocal performance. As the title suggests, it's a song about a man whose woman is gone. Gone from this life, that is. It's a song that looks back, and contains some interesting percussion. Then when it seems the song is ending, it comes roaring in with more force and energy, and starts to rock.
"Navasota" has a strong opening, grabbing our attention. What I especially love here is Jesse's great raw vocal performance. So when we hear that some preacher opines he is making "the devil's music," we understand where the guy is coming from. There is a power here, and it's certainly not coming from some angelic realm above. No, this power is bubbling up from beneath the surface. "Well, that guitar'll take ya to hell, son." There are moments when that guitar seems eager to move the song more into the rock and roll realm. That's followed by "The Ballad Of Boyd Elder," Boyd Elder being the artist who created the horns on that Eagles album cover. Jesse Dayton plays both guitar and bass on this track, and is joined by just Patrick Herzfeld on drums and percussion. "Working on a painting, workin' on a buzz/Lovin' all the woman and runnin' from the fuzz." Yeah, as you might guess from those lines, there is something fun about this one, and its lyrics refers to Bobby Fuller. Then "Angel In My Pocket" has a gentler, sweeter sound as it starts, with some really nice work by Matt Hubbard on accordion. "Well, I hurt myself a million ways/Thinkin' I don't deserve you/And survived the dark with my angel's light/Somehow made it through."
"Huntsville Prison Rodeo" has more of a country vibe, to fit its subject. "Mama packed a picnic lunch, we'd drive up 95/To the Huntsville Prison Rodeo to see who survived/Well, we pulled into the prison gates, the guard dogs searched our truck." Another line that stands out is this: "With three seconds of freedom between the hospital and morgue." The phrase "doin' life without parole" of course reminds me of "Mama Tried," though the character in the line here is 22, not 21 as in Merle Haggard's song. Then "Esther Pearl" begins in a darker place, with misery in its background. This one tells a compelling story of the Underground Railroad. These days, the sorts of bastards who were members of the KKK are in positions of power in the government. The energy increases for the song's chorus. The album concludes with "God Ain't Makin' No More Of It." This one has a heavy edge, and its first lines add to that feeling: "She left me twisting in the wind, livin' by my wits/Funny how our problems bring out all our grit." There is a wild energy to this song, a song that feels ready to tear things apart. There is a moment in the second half when it pulls back, but soon it drives forward into the melee again. This track contains some cool work on keys. "Eventually found out reality was really where it's at/Still you took the last hit."
CD Track List
- The Hard Way
- Night Brain
- Talkin' Company Man Blues
- Baby's Long Gone
- Navasota
- Ballad Of Boyd Elder
- Angel In My Pocket
- Huntsville Prison Rodeo
- Esther Pearl
- God Ain't Makin' No More Of It
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