Thomm Jutz: “To Live In Two Worlds Volume 1” (2020) CD Review

Thomm Jutz is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer based in Nashville. You might know him from his work with Nanci Griffith, but he has produced and performed on albums by several other artists as well. He also performs with Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, and last year that trio released Riverland. And now he has followed that with To Live In Two Worlds Volume 1, an excellent album of original material. Joining Thomm Jutz on this release are Mark Fain on upright bass, Mike Compton on mandolin, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Justin Moses on banjo, all of whom played on Riverland. There are also a couple of guests providing vocals on certain tracks. In the liner notes, Thomm Jutz offers some thoughts on each of the album’s tracks, and Peter Cooper also provides a piece about Thomm.

The disc gets off to a great start with a lively tune called “Mill Town Blues,” a song he co-wrote with Milan Miller, who provides harmony vocals. This song takes us right to the town, making it come alive all around us, and features some wonderful work on banjo. “You run in with the law/You spend the night in jail/Sing the jailer’s favorite song/Instead of posting bail.” I also really like the line “Don’t make enough to starve on.” Though this is an original composition, it has a classic sound about it, which fits with the story the song is telling. And in fact the album is filled with historical tales, taking us to other times. Thomm Jutz follows “Mill Town Blues” with “I Long To Hear Them Testify,” a bluesy, somber number with a passionate vocal performance. As with “Mill Town Blues,” this song refers to Charlie Poole, directly mentioning “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down.” This one also mentions Blind Willie McTell and Skip James, and is about wanting to hear them play back in the 1920s. That guitar part in the middle has a cool, loose, improvised feel. This song was written by Trey Henlsey and Thomm Jutz.

He then brings up again with “Calling Me Home,” a pretty waltz featuring some wonderful harmony vocals by Tammy Rogers, who also co-wrote the song with Thomm Jutz. This song provides the album with its title in the lines “To live in two worlds is all that we know/But I feel your love, and it’s calling me home.” This is one of my personal favorites. It’s followed by “Where The Bluebirds Call,” which has more of a folk vibe, with a soft, intimate vocal delivery, like he has just picked up a guitar and is playing to a small group of friends in our home. “England is a cold place in October/And Virginia is so pretty in the fall/He tells himself if he could do it over/He’d end his days where the bluebirds call.” It was written by Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz. Thomm follows that with a fast-paced bluegrass number, “Moving Up, Moving On,” with Justin Moses delivering some great work on banjo and also providing some nice backing vocals. “I’ll be making a straight line out the door/Don’t know where, don’t know when/You might never ever see this boy again/Moving up, moving on/Getting better at getting gone/Time is short, and the road is long.” Oh yes, there is certainly something appealing about this song, about its lyrics, particularly for those of us with some wanderlust (and isn’t that all of us?). “Keep on going, ain’t no slowing down this ride.” This seems like another song to add to my road trip play list. It was written by Thomm Jutz, Jon Weisberger and Tim Stafford.

Thomm Jutz then returns to that more intimate style with “Blind Alfred Reed,” a tribute to a musician who played on the streets to support his family, and then in 1927 had the opportunity to record some of his songs at the Bristol Sessions. This one was written by Trey Hensley and Thomm Jutz. That’s followed by “Hartford’s Bend,” a song about John Hartford. This one has such a sweet vibe, I am immediately moved by it. It is a song I just want to drift along upon; it has such a pleasant sound, particularly his voice. “He said nothing is real but the river/And nothing is true but a song/And they’re still blowing their whistles on the Cumberland River.” Justin Moses provides harmony vocals. And I love that work on mandolin. This song was written by Thomm Jutz and John Hadley. Thomm follows that with “Jimmie Rodgers Rode A Train,” a mellow number about Jimmie Rodgers, delivered with that wonderfully intimate style. This track mentions “the last blue yodel,” a nod to the fact that there were a lot of songs titled “Blue Yodel.” He was, after all, known as the Blue Yodeler. I remember when Fur Dixon was trying to come up with a number for her own blue yodel, and found that Jimmie Rodgers had basically already covered every number in existence, so she called hers “My Blue Yodel.” “Jimmie Rodgers Rode A Train” was written by Charley Stefl and Thomm Jutz.

“The Old Road” is another good song to have with you when you’re taking a drive, particularly when you’re in no hurry. Thomm sings, “I’d rather go slow than drive the interstate.” Tammy Rogers co-wrote this song with Thomm Jutz, and provides some good harmony vocals, as well as some excellent work on fiddle. That’s followed by “Mighty Hard To Travel,” which sounds like a classic folk number, and probably should end up being one. It’s really good, with a simple, honest, unadorned sound. I love that acoustic guitar. This one feels like a song you play at the end of a day. It was written by Jon Weisberger and Thomm Jutz. “Wilmer McLean” tells of the American Civil War, and one particular, reluctant and important participant. There is some humor to this song, to the true story. This one was co-written by Trey Hensley, who provides vocals on the track. It is followed by another song of the American Civil War, “Shelton Laurel Valley,” though this one is much more somber and serious, telling the story of the Shelton Laurel massacre. “And I wonder through the years how much has really changed/Well, I can’t find the answer, but this I know is true/If our hearts are filled with anger we’d pull the trigger too.” This song was written by Milan Miller and Thomm Jutz.

“Yesterday And Tomorrow” is a delightful song about living in the moment, its main line being “But the only two days that you never can change are yesterday and tomorrow.” Ah, so true. This song should be able to bring a smile to your face, even – or perhaps especially – during these uncertain times. “Yesterday And Tomorrow” was written by Thomm Jutz and Tammy Rogers, and is another of this disc’s highlights. The album then concludes with “What’ll They Think Up Last,” written by John Hadley, Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz. This is another that should speak strongly to most folks. I’ve never understood why it seems that the leaders of nations seem unaffected by songs like this. Is it true that they don’t have souls? “Already get it over with/Let’s go out in a blast/I don’t care what they think up next/Just what’ll they think up last.” The line about “Jersey highway tolls” made me laugh. Many years ago, my father was driving my friend and me home to Massachusetts after a festival in New Jersey. There was a toll both, which was unmanned, but which demanded the precise amount due. We had to pull over and search through the car for a nickel, and finally found one, but joked that this was how New Jersey got its population – people who couldn’t find the exact change were forced to stay. Anyway, I love these lines: “They thought up ways to segregate/The many from the few/They thought up creed and dogma/And sins you must confess/But let’s not think up something more/Let’s think up something less.”

CD Track List

1. Mill Town Blues
2. I Long To Hear Them Testify
3. Calling Me Home
4. Where The Bluebirds Call
5. Moving Up, Moving On
6. Blind Alfred Reed
7. Hartford’s Bend
8. Jimmie Rodgers Rode A Train
9. The Old Road
10. Mighty Hard To Travel
11. Wilmer McLean
12. Shelton Laurel Valley
13. Yesterday And Tomorrow
14. What’ll They Think Up Last

To Live In Two Worlds Volume 1 was released on March 27, 2020. I am looking forward to Volume 2.