June 10, 2008
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
Posted by Larry Karnowski at June 10, 2008 7:00 AMTrouble In Mind
Hayes Carll
Lost Highway Records
Four Stars
If Alt Country is "dead," please don't anyone tell Hayes Carll. Trouble In Mind is a kick-ass, whiskey-fueled attempt to hang on to that part of our youth with too much alchohol, late nights, bad lovers, and shenanigans. Sadly, though, he knows he's passing that time, and he's growing up -- but not without a drunken fight or two along the way.
Hayes keeps the genre alive with banjos, slide guitars, and his signature drawl. God, he's got a great voice! You'll hear Dylan-esque acoustic tunes, bar-room honkey tonk numbers, and plain ol' old-school Country burners.
Stand out songs are Drunken Poet's Dream, It's A Shame, Bad Liver And A Broken Heart, Willing To Love Again, and Girl Downtown. Also, although it makes me a groan in a few places, She Left Me For Jesus is hilarious. (My tolerance for "funny country" is very particular, and only a few people have the panache to pull it off. Carll does here, very well.)
Four stars.
Word up!
"I got a woman, she's as wild as Rome. She likes to lay naked and be gazed upon" may be the best lyric in any song I've heard this year!
Posted by: Timmy Mac at June 10, 2008 9:30 AMI gotta say She Left Me For Jesus isn't a song I like in fact I find it a bit offensive, and I like edgy country too but I just think this is over the line.
Posted by: ccf at June 10, 2008 1:22 PM@ccf: It's definitely not for everyone. I guess I should have warned folks it could be pretty offensive. Like I said, it's definitely over the top, but I still think it's funny.
Posted by: larry at June 10, 2008 9:10 PMI've been wanting to review this but then my computer died taking all my music with it. Boo. Anyway, I'm interested that you describe it as "alt.country" Larry, because I've seen it described that way elsewhere and to me, I wonder if Hayes Carll is 'alt.country' whether that phrase means anything anymore. Pretty straight ahead country in the Texas-folk vein to me, nothing "alt" about it at all ....
Posted by: Amanda at June 11, 2008 3:57 PMI've advocated "Christian Parental Advisory" stickers on pop music for years! This would allow parents to steer the children away from bad influences like Carl Hayes and towards bands with uplifting positive messages like The Drive-By-Truckers and their song "Too much sex (too little Jesus)".
Posted by: Rev Dregob at June 11, 2008 9:32 PMThis guy is great. He's most likely listened to a lot of Steve Earl, some JJ Cale, and som Jason and the Scorchers thrown in for good measure. I think he could be really big. He's not afraid of the great hook, he is original mostly in his phrasing; So many good quotes possible, But " She likes to lay naked and be gazed upon" kinda sums it up. Unique and funny, and soulful.
Posted by: Alex MacDonald at June 14, 2008 8:13 PMGreat record! The guy has got it all, great song writer, can write about any subject, and serious or just plan fun. "He left me for Jesus" strikes me as the later and I am scratching my head in disbelief that anyone would be insulted by the song!
Posted by: Steve at June 20, 2008 2:05 PM
