Chickenbone Slim: “Sleeper” (2020) CD Review

I was turned onto the music of Chickbone Slim a few years ago when he released The Big Beat. At that time, I felt the country was in need of some fun music, as we were trying to adjust to the dark stink of the Trump administration, and that album certainly did the trick. And here we are, three years later and feeling like at least two dozen years have passed, and the country is in even more desperate need of music to lift us from the anxiety and fear and fury that have made themselves a home here. In addition to the regular horrors of the Trump administration, we are now suffering through a pandemic, something for which the current leader is utterly unequipped to deal with. And here comes Sleeper, another wonderful release from Chickenbone Slim, right on time to aid us in these uncertain and rather terrifying times. This album features all original material, written by Larry Teves (Chickenbone Slim’s real name). The band includes Scot Smart on guitar, Troy Sandow on harmonica, Andrew Crane on bass, and Marty Dodson on drums.

The disc gets off to a great start with “Vampire Baby,” a song that opens with a lie. The first line is ordinary: “I woke up this morning.” Yes, an innocuous enough line, a line you might not even pay attention to, for it’s been used countless times. But when he follows that with “That’s a good lie,” he has you. This is a delicious bluesy rock song about being a vampire, and it features some wonderful guitar work, plus some good stuff on harmonica. “Got to find me somebody to satisfy my appetite” (or is it “some body to satisfy my appetite”?). It’s a totally enjoyable tune, just the thing to take our minds off our troubles for a bit. That’s followed by “Tougher Than That,” which comes in rocking and swinging and shaking, a song with a fun beat, and one whose title line we might all find ourselves singing: “I’m tougher than that.” We’ll see, won’t we? Let’s hope for the best. Meanwhile, a good dose of rock and roll is what the doctor prescribes, particularly as other medicines aren’t easy to come by. Then “The Ballad Of Dick” is a fun number that tells the story of Country Dick Montana, who died while performing on stage. This is an original song, not a cover of Mojo Nixon’s “The Ballad Of Country Dick.” That’s followed by “Strolling With Chickenbone,” which perhaps for now should be re-titled “Strolling Six Feet Apart From Chickenbone.” But this will pass at some point, won’t it? Anyway, this is another enjoyable tune with a groovy rhythm, an instrumental track featuring some great stuff on both guitar and harmonica.

Things then get more deeply into the blues with “My Bad Luck,” a blues title if there ever was one, right? The first line of this one is “Don’t you get too close,” and then a little later he sings “Better keep your distance.” Ah, good advice these days. Of course here he’s offering a warning that those who get too close might catch his bad luck. “I need a voodoo woman/A gypsy or a priest/Someone to break this curse.” Hey, whatever works. That’s followed by “Ride,” one that comes at you like a powerful train. It is that work on harmonica that really stands out on this track, the force that is keeping the engine moving. Then “Helpless” comes as a surprise, being more in the folk realm. It’s kind of wonderful, the vocals having a weary and raw sound, giving this a sort of improvised and immediate feel. “Hopeless, hopeless/Hopeless, I know/I come for your body, I come for your soul/I’m hidden and wanton/Do as you’re told.” This ends up being one of my favorite tracks.

The bass gets “Little Victory” started, and soon this track is rocking, a great force moving along steadily. “Evil spirits and conspiracies/The machinations of my enemies/Holding back the hordes/A long slow steady retreat/I need a little victory.” That’s followed by “Dignity,” a blues tune about being treated poorly by a lover who seems out to not just end the affair but ruin the man in the process. He asks, “Why you gotta hate me/Why you trying to wreck my life?” But don’t worry, this song still has a great groove and won’t get you down. The album concludes with “These Things Happen,” an excellent song addressing a serious subject, the lyrics also seeming to deal directly with what the country is experiencing now, with lines like “The numbers that we’re seeing are way off the chart” and “Somebody must decide who dies or gets to live.” The solution the people are offered of course is no solution at all, “All you do is hold hands and pray.” It’s pretty bleak. Yeah, the album leaves us with something to think about.

CD Track List

1. Vampire Baby
2. Tougher Than That
3. The Ballad Of Dick
4. Strolling With Chickenbone
5. My Bad Luck
6. Ride
7. Helpless
8. Little Victory
9. Dignity
10. These Things Happen

Sleeper was released on March 3, 2020.