Need a break from predictable, paint-by-numbers and fill-in-the-blank partyin’ country tunes by Nashville’s brohunks?
New albums by the boundary-bending Eric Church and the personal, emotional approach of Dierks Bentley provide a welcome break, as do homeward-looking singer/songwriter Irene Kelley and a stellar bluegrass and country set by Rhonda Vincent.
B+ Dierks Bentley Riser Capitol
One of the things that sets Dierks Bentley apart is a personal approach to songwriting and singing. He’s not so cookie-cutter nor as calculated as many modern Nashville hitmakers. He knows his way around the heart. “Say You Do” aches with hurt and emotion as it radiates a palpable sensuality.
But Bentley presents one of his best ever in “Here on Earth,” a song written after his father’s death and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School: “I ain’t the best of believers/Ain’t at the front of a church/I’ve read the words of the teacher/But I still struggle with what it’s all worth.”
The guitars echo and ring in the music, showing a U2-ish edge as Bentley takes a look at life and living; trying to reconcile dreams with life as it is. “Drunk on a Plane,” though humorous, still slips in the heartbreak behind the sly lyrics. Only “Back Porch” and “Pretty Girls” fall short.
Hot tracks: “Here on Earth, “Say You Do,” the exquisite “Damn These Dreams.”A- Eric Church The Outsiders EMI
Eric Church sees himself as a modern outlaw in the tradition of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and the boys. That stance comes through on The Outsiders, as the successful artist clings to a rebellious image while generating even more success. His new album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 and the Country album lists.
So what’s a rebel-minded guy to do? Step away from the mainstream again. He tries a little too hard on the title song as he taps a mix of blues, hard rock and hip hop.
But overall, the results impress. “Cold One,” with its whip-smart lyrics and musical mix that includes scratching and bluegrass, is a marvel. It and “Broke Record” shift tempos and play with words and styles with imagination.
Church is a restless and creative musician who challenges his audience to open their ears and listen. And that’s the best part of the outlaw tradition.
Hot tracks: the teary “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young,” “Cold One,” the nostalgia-drenched “Give Me Back My Hometown,” the noirish, spooky tale of an arsonist mama, “The Joint.” AIrene Kelley Pennsylvania Coal Patio As refreshing as a gentle shower on a dusty day, the voice of Irene Kelley engages the heart and mind in a manner that fans of Dolly Parton, Kathy Mattea, Alison Krauss and Nanci Grifith will appreciate. This recording deftly straddles the fence between acoustic country and bluegrass.
As the title suggests, Kelley is digging into her roots, as Mattea did on Coal. Her beautiful voice keens and soothes, alluring in its beauty and sobering in its truth. “Things We Never Did” looks at the what ifs of a failed relationship: “Forever me and you/nearly a dream come true/you don’t know how I miss/the things we never did.”
A slew of songwriting and musical collaborators enhance the recording, including Claire Lynch, Rhonda Vincent (on a rousing “Rattlesnake Rattler”), David Olney, Peter Cooper and Trisha Yearwood.
Hot tracks: “Things We Never Did,” the autobiographical “Pennsylvania Coal,” the melancholy “Feels Like Home,” the mature love song “Better With Time,” the haunting poetry of “Garden of Dreams.”A- Rhonda Vincent Only Me Upper Management
As Dolly Parton and others have proved, country and bluegrass are family. Singer/musician Rhonda Vincent, who started in country and has become a dominant force in bluegrass, makes that point abundantly clear on Only Me. It’s 12 songs spread, albeit inexplicably, across two CDs; one country, one bluegrass.
But Vincent’s beautiful voice and savvy collaborative choices make for delightful listening on this mix of original tunes and classics. Her powerful vocals ring true emotionally and musically on the moving original “Teardrops Over You,” which sounds like it came right out of a Porter Wagoner/Dolly Parton collaboration. Also memorable is the gorgeous “Beneath Still Waters,” a hit for Diana Trask and Emmylou Harris.
The musicianship is impeccable, whether bluegrass or country, and both, on some tracks.
Hot tracks:“Teardrops Over You,” Lionel Delmore’s “I’d Rather Hear I Don’t Love You (Than Nothing at All),” Connie Smith’s hit “Once a Day,” “Beneath Still Waters.”
Style, Pages 25 on 03/04/2014