Top 5 Country Songs of 2009

It seems like whenever I start making “Best Of” lists, I draw the ire of one group of people or another. I think I am misunderstood quite commonly that my “Top” picks mean that they are my favorite personally, or that maybe I am even trying to push some agenda.

I really do agonize over this stuff, and try to look at the big picture. The significance of a song or album or artist is just as much important to how much I personally like it. I try to ask, it important in some way? Does a blaze a new direction or unite a fan base? For example, Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger is considered by many, including me, to be the most important country album of all time. But as for the album itself, it has it’s moments, but I don’t consider it Willie’s best work. With all that said, here are my picks for the top Songs of the Year.

#5 – Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue

The standout track for me from Scott H. Biram’s new album Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever. In an interview he talked about how the song was inspired from a phone call from his mom. She asked him how he was doing, and this was his response. The song was done justice in this video by Judd Films:

#4 – Thowin’ Away My Money

I probably could have picked a number of songs from Wayne Hancock’s latest Viper of Melody, but this song embodies to me the amazing thing about Wayne Hancock’s style. You listen to this song, and are perplexed how this is not a cover from some artist from back in the 50′s. He has a way of penning instant classics, and that is what “Throwin’ Away My Money” is.

#3 – Poor Fool

From my Album of the Year, this is the standout country track that flies in the face of mainstream Nashville’s ideas that the way we have to move forward is by 86-ing steel guitars and classic country themes. It is a simple song that works so perfectly. This isn’t the best representation of this song, but you get the idea:

#2 – Someday I’ll Fall

This is the standout duet on A Bitter Harvest, a collaboration between Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt of Those Poor Bastards. I know some people will roast me because they think this is not a country song, but this song is more country than 90% of the other stuff out there flying the country flag. It is a duet-a classic country arrangement- and listen to Rachel Brooke’s yodel and tell me that ain’t country. No, it is not traditional country, and that is the only reason that this is #2 instead of #1. Aside from this, it is a masterpiece, and the best work either Rachel or Lonesome has done to date.

#1 – Damn The Luck

A lot of people have wanted to name Lucky Tubb’s latest album Damn the Luck as one of the best albums of 2009, but the music purist in me makes me want to correct everyone by saying that this album came out in 2008. But I’m making an exception to my own rule here, because even though the title track is a 2008 song, you can have singles come out in proceeding years, and for all intents and purposes, 2009 is when this song was presented to the world, and also when the following video was released.

Is Lucky Tubb the next great songwriter? I’m not sure about that, but he hit a home run with this song, and lucky for him, it also happens to be his signature tune. This song hits on all cylinders. What did Steve Goodman say? Simple, straightforward, and poignant, like all country songs are supposed to be. It is perfect.

Album Review – Junk

With his first official solo album, Junk, along with his good friend and talented musician in her own right Rachel Brooke, have put together a brilliant, quality, and surprisingly accessible long runner with an eponymous title.

This is one of those albums you can put on in the background of any gathering of any people, rednecks, hipsters, whatever, and somebody is bound to say, “Wow, what is this we’re listening to?” This was my first impression of this album, and when I tried it out a couple of times, my hypothesis was confirmed. It is not an album to bang your head to or have on as you go ripping down a muddy road. It is mood music . . . and I mean that in a good way.

The best part about Junk’s music is his unique voice, and the lo-fi, straight forward production that displays the heart of the song with no frills. It’s easy to compare Junk’s voice to Tom Waits, but I don’t think this is fair to either artist. One of its primary elements is a rasp, but Junk’s voice is way more consistent and calculated that Waits, and the way it contrasts with Rachel’s soft yet pained voice is sublime.

If this was a straight collaboration with Rachel Brooke, there would be room to complain that her harmonies are mixed too low. But since this is Junk’s project, the mix is perfect, which ironically is all Rachel Brooke’s fault, because she was the one tweaking the knobs during the recording. It is not as easy as one might think to capture a raw signal and have it sound like you want it to, and that is just what Rachel has done, and then she included some tasteful work with guitar, upright bass, banjo, and slide guitar.

This project is also destined to be compared with another Rachel Brooke collaboration, A Bitter Harvest, but I think the two albums are quite different. Junk is much more accessible, and focuses more on the essence of the song with minimal production. As such, I could see these songs being fleshed out further by other artists in the future, and this would be a venture worth pursuing, because these songs are that good.

The hit of the album (so to speak) is the second track, “SOS.” The first track “Whirlwind” is really good too. Actually screw that, they’re all good songs, without one questionable judgment in any of the 11 tracks.

Junk is one of those albums you listen to and shake your head, because it is living proof that most good, original music lives these days in the underground. 99% of people will never corss paths with this album, but us 1%’ers will cherish it.

You can purchase the album by clicking here.

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Rachel Brooke & Lonesome Wyatt on Tour

The Hank Williams female reincarnation known as Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt of Those Poor Bastards have just finished up a tour through the Midwest, Texas, and Florida in support of their duo record A Bitter Harvest. All the eyewitness accounts I have come across have had nothing but glowing things to say, and as I was hoping, some good quality videos have surfaced of the duo.

One of the things I was surprised and impressed with from Those Poor Bastards when I saw them earlier this year, was how they translate music that in the recorded format is heavily dependent on production to the live format without losing a lot of what makes the song great. A similar thing can be said about this Bitter Harvest material. “Someday I’ll Fall” is in top running right now for my Song of the Year, and following is a great performance of it:

The way Rachel slowly drops her pitch during the second part of the yodel nearly pulls off the amazing things Lonesome Wyatt did with her voice on the recorded version.

Here’s another from Backwoods Films, at the The Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette, IN:

Also for fans of Those Poor Bastards, the two 7″ Halloween releases including the one with Hank III’s alter ego “Skelton” are now available to purchase HERE. That is, if the 250 quantity hasn’t already been snatched up.

A Bitter Harvest on Tour (& new video)

When I fill out my MySpace REAL Country Awards, without question Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt’s collaboration A Bitter Harvest will make an appearance, or two or three.

Well they have been compiling dates and have just announced their complete “Bitter Harvest” tour, appropriately starting in the spooky month of Rocktober (horns up). Despite my torrid, wonton love lust for Rachel Brooke, this tour won’t be coming anywhere near my neck of the woods. (C’mon Rachel, my restraining order says stay 1,500 feet away, not 1,500 miles! Sheesh.)

Word is both Rachel and Lonesome will play solo sets, then they will play together. This is a “don’t miss” if it is coming near you, because even if you think Those Poor Bastards or A Bitter Harvest is artsy fartsy frap, you’re still going to get a set with the ravishing Rachel Brooke.

• 10/02/09 Private Event Cleveland OH
• 10/03/09 Calhoun St. Soups Salads and Spirits Ft Wayne IN
• 10/04/09 Lafayette Brewing Cow/Joe Buck Yourself Lafayette IN
• 10/05/09 4620 Reinvented Knoxville TN
• 10/06/09 TBA Atlanta GA
• 10/07/09 The Landshark Jacksonville FL
• 10/08/09 Zoo Bar Ft Lauderdale FL
• 10/09/09 Dave’s Aqua Lounge St Petersburg, FL
• 10/10/09 Pastimes Sarasota FL
• 10/12/09 Outlaw Drinkin’ Club Beaumont TX
• 10/13/09 TBA TX
• 10/14/09 Bronco’s Hurst TX
• 10/15/09 The Gypsy w/ Sons of Perdition Fayetteville AR
• 10/16/09 The Foxhole St Louis MO
• 10/17/09 The Bottomfeeder Warrensburg MO
• 10/18/09 The Rotten Apple Grafton IL
• 10/19/09 VFW Post 99 Decatur IL

Also another high definition video of Rachel has surfaced, again taken by Misfit Radio of Michigan.

To read my review of A Bitter Harvest, CLICK HERE. And to purchase or download the album, CLICK HERE, or go to thosepoorbastards.com.

Album Review – A Bitter Harvest

(A Bitter Harvest is a collaboration between Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt of Those Poor Bastards.

As the release date approached for this album, I began to worry that maybe my expectations were too high, and I was possibly hyping it to the point where it could only be a letdown.

But what made this album so sexy to me was the idea of putting Rachel Brook’s unique voice and songwriting talents together with Lonesome’s mastery of arrangement and sound production,

I must give a disclaimer that this album is not for everyone. I’d love to say that you can knock out your holiday shopping by buying a crate of these, but the truth is gothic country is something you have to acquire a taste for. This is not music to get rowdy or bent to. It is music to sit back and listen to, and appreciate the mastery of sound that has been put into it; more like Tom Waits than Hank III.

Rachel has always spoken of her appreciation for Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, which is something that could be misunderstood in the wrong hands, and this is evident in parts of this album. You could call it “A Bitter Harvest” after the “Endless Summer,” but I would be worried that this somehow discounts the album, because though there is that element, this album is so much more. It is a pinnacle of gothic country, and at times it reaches the pinnacle of all music, as Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke tap the essence of their talents, and intertwine them flawlessly.

The album starts out with one of those Beach Boys-feeling tracks, “This Painful Summer”: an intelligent pick to start the album out with. But when I looked in the liner notes, this song was NOT written by Rachel, but by Lonesome. Same could be said for the other 50′s-style do-woppy track, and for lack of a better way to put it, the most “fun” track of the album, “Darkness”. The fact that these were Lonesome songs speaks to the nearly seemless integration of talent and inspiration that this project boasts.

The meat of the album comes with the two songs “Someday I’ll Fall” and “Crippled Farms.” These two songs are masterpieces. Not the masterpieces of this album, or even of the gothic country genre, but masterpieces, period. THIS is what I envisioned when this project was announced, and these songs exceeded all expectations. What Lonesome does with Rachel’s voice on “Someday I’ll Fall” is as mesmerizing and seemingly unattainable as freehanding a perfect circle. And where and how Lonesome procures the sounds he uses, and how he has the vision to see those sounds weaving through his songs and creating foundations for the music I will never know.

Another standout track is “Give Up and Die.” Lonesome’s songsmithing is there, but this song really rests on two unbelievable, superlative vocal performances by two superb singers. Both seem to almost dare themselves with the vocal range they chose to sing the song at, teasing their limits and abilities. Even if you think that most of this album is a bunch of weird noise mumbo jumbo, this is a song that can speak to everyone with its solid singer/songwriter prowess. In fact out of all the great songs on this album, this might be the one that still sounds fresh to you no matter how many times you listen to it.

This album isn’t without warts, just like every album. Individually, “Only the Booze” is a good song, but after being lulled into almost a catatonic state with “Someday I’ll Fall” and “Crippled Farms,” the upbeat nature and loudness of this song came across as jarring and harsh while listening to the album cover to cover. Albums like this I think depend on the continuity of the song order more so than others, and though I wouldn’t second guess the order of most of the songs, this is the exception. I understand what they were aiming at: to change up the mood of the album after a slow, dark point. It also took me a bit to warm up to the tracks “Never Forget” and “Empty House,” but the more I listened, the more I liked them.

In my opinion, this is the best album Lonesome Wyatt has ever made. I would say the same about Rachel Brooke, but with this caveat: As a Rachel Brooke fan, I am still waiting for that one album that really highlights all of her talents as a songwriter, singer, and musician. Rachel has a big bag of tricks, and though this album highlights some that have never been seen before, there are more that my ear yearns for that I know are lurking within her. She can tear into bluegrass. She’s been a drummer in a punk band before. I can imagine this is how Emmylou Harris fans might have felt as it seemed like everyone wanted to use her talents in their projects, but didn’t see that she had the talent to do her own thing as well.

I’m sure some will hear this album, or even just look at the track names like “Darkness” and “Give Up and Die” and think this is all a little over the top like an annoying emo kid. But this is the style, and this is genre. It’s not for everyone, but A Bitter Harvest has made my nomination ballot for Album of the Year.

(note: Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt are the guests and featured artists on this month’s It Burns When I Pee episode.)

IBWIP is Back w/ A Bitter Harvest

Today is the release date of my most anticipated album of the year, A Bitter Harvest, which is a collaboration between Lonesome Wyatt of Those Poor Bastards and Rachel Brooke. And your outlets for independent/Outlaw country news and interviews are all over this release like a bad rash.

First, Jashie P of Outlaw Radio will have the singular talent of Rachel Brooke on his show THIS TUESDAY NIGHT (7-7-09) at 9 PM Central, broadcast live on punkand beansradio.com. And if you miss it you can go to savingcountrymusic.com’s Outlaw Radio Page where all Outlaw Radio episodes are archived.

Then on July 24th, the miscreants of It Burns When I Pee are BACK, with both Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt as guests!

Where did IBWIP go you ask? Wherever they damn please; no nervous bladders in that crew. They were gone for a few months, but they’ve busted out of rehab, posted bail, whatever. The most important thing is they are back, and they have been soliciting fan feedback and doing some soul searching to make the new IBWIP even better than the old one.

There will also be a live taping of that IBWIP episode on July 16th, where fans can watch and chat in the chat room. See their website for more details.

And of course as soon as I get my pre-ordered copy of A Bitter Harvest I will be dissecting it and offering up a review of the album right here.

Rachel and Lonesome Wyatt are also planning a tour for sometime in October in support of the album.

Also if you want to see a track list, preview the tracks, and get more info on the album, click here.

You can also order the album by going to thosepoorbastards.com, or by clicking here.

Preview & Pre-Order “A Bitter Harvest”

My personal most anticipated release of 2009, A Bitter Harvest, which is a collaboration between Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt of Those Poor Bastards, is now available for previewing and pre-order!

The album is available on CD, vinyl, and a limited edition white vinyl (only 100 copies), and they all can be pre-ordered by CLICKING HERE.

You can also preview clips of the songs HERE.

This is one of those albums I’m not going to spend too much time listening to samples, because I want to hear it in full with a fresh ear. But from the peek I took, this album is going to live up to the hype.

Full review coming soon.

Track List:

1. This Painful Summer
2. Poor Desperate Fools
3. Scars
4. Someday I’ll Fall
5. Crippled Farms
6. Only the Booze
7. Darkness
8. Never Forget (These Nightmares Are Mine)
9. Empty House
10. Give Up and Die

Album Info on “A Bitter Harvest”

When I first heard that Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt from Those Poor Bastards were teaming up on an album, I just about fell out of my chair. Though this pairing kind of came out of left field, it made complete and perfect sense to me, and this immediately became my most anticipated 2009 album release, in a year when some heavy hitters have been releasing albums.

Since the news first came out about this project, my anticipation has only grown. Both Rachel and Lonesome seem really happy with how the project turned out, and when I talked to Rachel’s squeeze Rick Ness from the .357 String Band a their show a while back, he said they’d been listening to it on the road, and it was mind blowing.

I can’t express to you how geeked out I am about this release. Two great songwriters with Lonesome Wyatt’s creativity with recording can only be good.

Well they just announced today that the release date will be July 6th, and they also released cover art and a track list:

1. This Painful Summer
2. Poor Desperate Fools
3. Scars
4. Someday I’ll Fall
5. Crippled Farms
6. Only the Booze
7. Darkness
8. Never Forget (These Nightmares Are Mine)
9. Empty House
10. Give Up And Die

They also said:

“There will be a limited edition/hand numbered version of the LP that will be pressed on white vinyl with a black haze effect. Only 100 of those awful nightmares will be made. There will also be the regular black vinyl edition so don’t you cry.”