Doyle Turner: “Sweet, Difficult Sounds” (2022) CD Review

The title of singer and songwriter Doyle Turner’s new album, Sweet, Difficult Sounds, comes from a short story by I. M. Desta, in which a girl from Zimbabwe has trouble adjusting to her new school in the United States, feeling that she can’t fit in. The story is about language, about communication, as much as it is about identity, and it has a hopeful view of connections between people. And isn’t that what music is often about?  It feels a perfect title for an album. Sweet, Difficult Sounds is Doyle Turner’s third album, and it features all original material. Doyle Turner sings lead, and plays both acoustic and electric guitar. Joining him on this release are Ted Hajnasiewicz on bass, electric guitar and backing vocals (Hajnasiewicz also produced the album); Troy Foss on percussion; Steve Peffer on keyboards and piano; Doug Quance on drums; and Sarah Morris on backing vocals. There are also guests on various tracks.

The first line of the album is “Send me bad news in writing,” and before the end of the track, titled “Best If I Forget,” Doyle Turner is describing holding a flame to the corner of the envelope, opining that “it’s better not to know.” This is a song about the end of a relationship, with some powerful imagery. I love songs that lead us to put ourselves in the situation. The other lines that stand out for me are: “Thought the touch of a hand on my cheek/Could sustain me for the rest of my life.” That’s followed by “One Good Night.” The music is sort of in the folk realm, but the rhythm of the acoustic guitar, and the energy behind it owe quite a bit to rock. Mary Cutrufello joins him on electric guitar on this track, which is about being a musician. Here he sings, “Give me one good night/When my words land right/And the music brings sight to the blind.” The appeal of this song, of course, extends beyond musicians, for everyone has moments when he or she hopes to be able to communicate clearly, for the words to “land right,” and also to feel like we’ve accomplished something, that we’ve had an impact, that we got something right in our short lifetimes.

“These Days” has a relaxed vibe, helped in part by Aaron Jennings’ sweet work on steel guitar. It feels that many people are struggling these days, in many different ways, sometimes just to keep their anger in check, or to make sense of their fellow man, or to reach out to someone who was supposed to be close. “Are you enemy or friend/Remind me once again,” Doyle Turner sings in this song. In fact, those are the lines he chooses to conclude the song, the lines he leaves us with. And I think we can all appreciate these lines: “These days are hard/These days are growling and starved/These days have been hung out in the rain/These days feel their hours/These days no longer ours.” Gary Broste plays bass on this track. Then Eliza Michaelson joins him on fiddle on “In This Meantime,” a beautiful and moving song that features a passionate vocal performance. “I give it all just for a few/Moments where I stumble into the clear blue/Here’s hoping it happens, and happens in time/To save me and you, and carry us through, in this meantime.” Sarah Morris joins him on vocals, their voices blending beautifully, and Kristi Tell Miller adds some wonderful work on mandolin. This is one of my personal favorites. “The older I get, the more time I take/I sing to the dark, I sing to the dawn, for all that’s at stake.”

“Half Past Noon” has a more cheerful vibe. It’s a love song. Check out its first several lines: “Clearly life has changed, but that won’t change what’s true for me and you/Hold my hand, breathe in deep, look into my eyes for what’s clear and true/We put the love in these love songs, baby/And it’s saving me and driving me crazy.” I love that the song acknowledges in its very first line how things have changed, something we’ve all taken note of, but then immediately maintains that those changes don’t necessarily mean changes in the truth for their relationship. And that is what we must keep in mind even as things go wrong in the world around us. This track features some nice work on keys. It’s followed by “One More Kiss Goodbye,” which has a rather bluesy opening and also features some really good work on keys. Interestingly, this song also mentions truth in the context of a relationship, but with a different tone. In this one, as he sings, “They seem to justify/The breaking of our hearts one at a time/Feelings are my only guide/The only truth and I/Give one more kiss goodbye.”

“Ordinary Truth” has something of a late-night jazzy feel, even before Lance Heddan comes in on saxophone, delivering some excellent work. This song touches upon a theme similar to that of “Half Past Noon” in these lines: “Feet firm, you ground me/In seasons spent right here with you/Wind blows, storms rage/We watch them as they pass on through.” The idea is the strength of the relationship, of love, and letting the troubles pass. And when you are with that special someone, those storms do pass. The album then concludes with “Coming Round,” which has a bright energy. “Button boxes and old junk drawers/Probably had what you were looking for/A whole lot of what’s mine is yours/I see you grin through that old screen door.” Matthew French, Amanda B. Perry, Marc Severin, Ted Hajnasiewicz and Sarah Morris all provide backing vocals on this track. This one ends with the backing vocalists singing the chorus and clapping. “Wait for it, it will come around/Wait for it, it’s coming round/Wait for it, it will come around/Your memory is too big to get my arms around.” It doesn’t get much more positive than that, eh?

CD Track List

1. Best If I Forget
2. One Good Night
3. These Days
4. In This Meantime
5. Half Past Noon
6. One More Kiss Goodbye
7. Ordinary Truth
8. Coming Round

Sweet, Difficult Sounds was released on September 17, 2022.