Buddy Mondlock: “Filament” (2023) CD Review

If Buddy Mondlock had stopped writing and recording after “The Kid,” he would still be a respected, perhaps even revered, songwriter. But it is our good fortune that he did not stop there, and has continued to release music that is not only excellent, but which means something. He doesn’t put out albums as often as we might like, but when he does release a new disc, we can be certain that he has given it the care and attention and time required to make it something special, something worthwhile. His new album, Filament, his first studio release in a decade, features original material, written or co-written by Buddy Mondlock. He plays acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, 12-string guitar, resonator guitar, high string guitar, banjo and electric bass on this album. Joining him on these tracks are Brad Jones on upright bass, electric bass, harmonium, mellotron, organ, harmonica, electric guitar and xylophone (Jones also produced the album); Mike Lindauer on fretless electric bass; Josh Hunt on drums and percussion; Jim Hoke on pedal steel; Avery Bright on violin and viola; Austin Hoke on cello; Evan Cobb on flute and oboe; Melissa Greener on backing vocals; and Carey Kotsionis on backing vocals.

Filament opens with its title track, which has a strong hook with that repeated line, “She burned brighter.” Those are words of praise, for sure, but then he tells us, “Couldn’t see that a filament is a fragile thing.” This is a song about a talented woman whose vocal talent is noticed and groomed at a young age. Her talent is taken as her most important attribute, and perhaps the person herself gets lost in there. Not that it’s intentional; no one is out to harm her, but harm is done nonetheless. “The ambulance came to a stop/She burned brighter/The flashbulbs flickered, fired and popped/She burned brighter/The sun came up and my heart dropped/She burned brighter.” This is a beautiful and moving song. It is followed by “Perfect,” a sweet, honest song with a gentle, loving delivery. “When I wake up next to you/And I see you lying there/With your arm above your head/And your morning hair/You look perfect/To me.” This is a song for all of us who are dating someone who somehow doesn’t see what we see when she looks in the mirror. “And when we fall asleep/We’re close as we can be/And later in my dreams/It’s you I see.”

Anyone who has heard Buddy Mondlock knows he’s one hell of an excellent storyteller, and “Jackson Petty” is another example of that talent. He populates these songs with compelling characters, and allows them to drive these stories. This one begins in 1864. “And yesterday the soldiers showed up/At the Taylor place just down the road/They took three cows and all the horses/And the Taylor boy, thirteen years old.” Then the time switches to 1915, and another war comes, to take another generation. “For the soldiers will come/Taking every father’s son/And fathers bleed just like their children do.” This song features some nice work on banjo. Then “If You Will” features some pretty work on strings. This one was written by Dana Cooper and Buddy Mondlock. It takes that old rhetorical question that all parents seem to ask, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too,” and then answers it. But here it is about two people: “If you jump off a cliff, I’ll jump off too/I’ve never had much sense when it comes to you/It’s true/Looks pretty deep/I’ll take the leap/If you will/I’ll see it through/I’ll be a fool/If you will/If you will.” This is a beautiful song. “I’ll grow up and face the facts/If you will, if you/But I will always have your back/If you will have mine too.” And then the strings rise, as if the music itself has our backs.

“Sunlight In My Pocket” has a brighter, more cheerful vibe, in part because of the prominent percussion work. This song has something of a Paul Simon feel. “You know that moon is just reflecting/Light from some other place/I think it’s coming from my baby/You should see the way she lights up my face/I’ve got sunlight in my pocket.” That’s followed by “The Woman In The Window,” a song written by Richard Berman and Buddy Mondlock, and featuring some good work on pedal steel. “Is she looking through the pane of glass or through her memories?” The sound grows then for these lines: “Call me home, lover/Catch my fall, angel/Take me in, stranger.” And I love the work on strings. Then “Come Back First” has a cool, kind of playful country vibe, and features some excellent work on harmonica and pedal steel. “You’ve been here, and you’ve been gone/And here again, and so on/Sorrow and relief, I don’t know which is worse/If you want to leave again, you’ve got to come back first/Come back first, come back last/You could just stay and save all that gas/I’m your love, and I’m your curse.”

“Ticket Taker Blues” is told from the perspective of someone who is present at the beginning of people’s journeys but never goes anywhere himself. “To me it’s all goodbyes and passing throughs.” That line stood out to me the first time I listened to this album, perhaps in part because the old song “Passing Through” has been going through my head a lot. We are all passing through, we are here so briefly. The person who functions as the song’s narrator is present for those goodbyes, but not really part of them. There is more strong work on pedal steel, particularly in the instrumental section in the middle. The song is about a person with a specific job, but the feeling expressed by this character can apply more widely to anyone who feels left out, watching others realize their dreams. Most of us at some point or other have felt like we’re standing still, while the rest of the world rushes past us. Then check out the opening lines of “Weak”: “Weak/Nobody wants to look weak/For death shall inherit the meek.” And soon we learn that this character was in the military, and is now trying to adjust to life at home. This is a powerful song. It was written by Nick Tibbs and Buddy Mondlock. It concludes with the optimistic line, “I speak, I speak.”

“Problem Solved” has a playful sense, particularly in those opening lines, “God bless you, our lady of anesthesia/You’re always there when I really need ya.” And check out these lines: “For gains will just get lost again/This life is good if you pretend.” It is like the song’s narrator is going over some experiences, some things he has learned about life. And he is addressing someone younger: “So you tell me that she broke your heart/You can feel the damned thing fall apart/Is this how love’s supposed to work.” This song was written by Kent Maxson and Buddy Mondlock. “At least you feel something, I’m just numb.” The album then concludes with a song that Buddy Mondock wrote with Guy Clark, “The Dark.” Guy Clark included his own version on his 2002 album, where it was the title track. This is an interesting song, the lyrics delivered as spoken word. “Drip in the kitchen sink marking time/June bug on the window screen/He can’t get in, but he keeps trying/One way or another, we’re all in the dark.” Yet there is a sense of wonder here. There is beauty in the world. We have to remember that, we have to take it in.

CD Track List

1. Filament
2. Perfect
3. Jackson Petty
4. If You Will
5. Sunlight In My Pocket
6. The Woman In The Window
7. Come Back First
8. Ticket Taker Blues
9. Weak
10. Problem Solved
11. The Dark

Filament is scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023.