Album Review – Daniel Romano “Come Cry With Me”
Another week, and another country music artist originating from north of the border makes the cut for official Saving Country Music criticism. I agree, there must be something deeper behind this Canadian trend, and perhaps we’ll delve into that topic further at a later date. But for now, let’s pop the hood on Daniel Romano’s Come Cry With Me and see what its got.
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Daniel Romano is not a neo-traditionalist in the traditional sense. He’s not trying to regale the modern ear with a new take on the classic country sound. Instead Daniel Romano is like the method actor of classic country, carving his niche by offering a strict interpretation of classic country’s modes with striking accuracy. It’s not a retro sound, it is a strict, methodical re-enactment. Everything fits the period–the words, the instrumentation, the song structure.
Take for example the first song “Middle Child” and the way the story fits the very real practice back in the 50’s and 60’s of families giving up their own children to institutions because they simply didn’t want them or couldn’t care for them. This was the fate that befell David Allan Coe for example. The way Daniel Romano dives into the emotional depths of this practice from the perspective of the child chosen to be given away is astounding, and he does so with such attention to keeping the language in the period.
Except for maybe his recording approach, there is nothing here to hint that Daniel Romano and his music weren’t just removed from a time capsule. It is this insistence on authenticity and attention to detail that elevate Come Cry With Me to high art. This really isn’t music that you put on in the background or bang your head to. Like visual art, you sit back and appreciate the use of technique. That doesn’t mean this album isn’t listenable, it’s just that you must know what to listen for.
This is where Daniel Romano and Come Cry With Me present a dilemma. I certainly wouldn’t call this album accessible. For classic country fans, of course it is, but this is not a good gateway drug to get your Clear Channel-listening friends into the idea that there’s an alternative to corporate music. To them, it will come across as hokey, Howdy Doody Canadian hipster wierdo-ness. But that’s okay, it’s not meant for them, and not all music is for everyone.
Another notch against its accessibility is how slow this album is. Except for the song “Chicken Bill,” all the songs reside in the slow register. The “Chicken Bill” follow up, “When I Was Abroad” is the album’s sole hiccup to the classic country vibe, as it mixes the sea-fearing connotation of the title with the cross-dressing one. But surprisingly Come Cry With Me doesn’t take the silly, hipster (for lack of a better word) turn that you anticipate it might. It resists sarcasm in favor of strict interpretation.
This doesn’t mean you couldn’t read sarcasm into it if you wanted. And this chameleon nature is another positive attribute of Come Cry With Me. You play this record for a grandparent and they would know no different from what they remember back in the day. You play in for some hipster in Ray Bans and sweat bands, and he could very possibly see it as the seat of condescending irony. Condescending in a good, entertaining way that is, at least from their perspective.
This album is not for everyone, and I think it’s also an interesting discussion of how “creative” this album is. Unlike other “neo-traditional” or classic country artists like Wayne Hancock or Eilen Jewell, there’s no original, new sound being bred from this music. But I like Daniel Romano’s approach. It’s a fun record that also makes you think, and has an infectious quality where it makes you listen deeper to the craft of classic country music, and makes you appreciate classic country that much more more.
1 3/4 of 2 guns up.
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Chris Lewis "Louie"
January 22, 2013 @ 3:18 pm
I saw this today while looking at Amazon and wondered if this would be decent to listen to but honestly I looked right over it thinking it would be hokey. But after your review and listening to these songs, this stuff isn’t bad. I actually enjoy his classic country sound.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 3:44 pm
I think this is the first time in several months that an independent country album has gotten less than two guns up. Just keeping tabs…
I don’t have any sound at the computer that I’m currently at. I’ll post something about the music later.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 4:12 pm
I’ve always wondered why Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, two men who both spent time in prison before starting their music careers, had such different personalities. Haggard’s behavior does not seem like that of a criminal at all, while Coe’s personality strongly hints at his criminal background.
Now that you’ve mentioned Coe’s upbringing, I think I have a theory for this disparity in personalities. Merle Haggard at least grew up with a loving and caring mother. Even though he had a rebellious nature and got involved in several criminal activities, he at least had someone to turn to when he needed personal warmth. Coe, sadly, grew up in the harsh environment of “reform school” and was deprived of a loving family.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 4:28 pm
“had such different personalities”
I should have said “ended up with different personalities”. They’re both still alive, so I definitely don’t want to refer to them in the past tense!
Trigger
January 22, 2013 @ 8:53 pm
I think Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe have very little in common when it comes to their personal experiences. Merle was barely in prison, while Coe grew up institutionalized.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 9:10 pm
Exactly. There is a whole world of difference between spending time in prison as an adult (or a near adult) vs. growing up in a “reform school”, which was basically a prison-like environment.
Ga Outlaw
January 22, 2013 @ 4:58 pm
As you know aol offers free listening to certain albums each week. This one is offered this week & I am so glad. If I saw it on amazon I would listen to the previews but probebly would not buy. This is one a preview doesn’t do justice to. I agree with everything you said in your review, but I feel that your last sentince said all that really needed to be said. I’m gonna go out on a limb & say this is already a canadate for album of the year in my book.
Trigger
January 22, 2013 @ 8:51 pm
I want to see this guy live before I make too many hard and fast opinions about him. I think this is a very good album, but this guy is a little hard to read. I’m a little unsure of his intentions.
Skelton
January 22, 2013 @ 7:32 pm
Wow!!! Looking at the pic I thought ” oh great, he’s gonna blacken the eye for us Canadians”
What a surprise though , he nails that old school country in a big way, really enjoyed this tune Trigg, thx 🙂
Gonna see if he plays anywhere nearby & hopefully catch him.
Thanks again
Bill
January 22, 2013 @ 8:57 pm
Some of his older material is really good too. A bit more folkish than straight up country, but still very good,
ShadeGrown
January 22, 2013 @ 9:01 pm
Sounds good.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 10:42 pm
Wow, “Middle Child” just blew me away! What a deep, emotional song about an aspect of life that is not covered nearly enough in music. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the early Song of the Year candidates (and we’re not even one month through 2013 yet!)
I really like the sound of the album in general, based on the previews. When I think fondly about classic country, this is exactly the type of music I imagine.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 10:47 pm
“Middle Child” is also thematically very similar to Kellie Pickler’s gorgeous “I Wonder”. “Middle Child” just treats the subject matter with much more subtlety and storytelling depth.
CONFUCIUS SAY
January 22, 2013 @ 11:20 pm
It’s funny how little you know about this artist. You attacked Jonny Corndawg/Fritz a while back for being a hipster…yet this guy actually played in hipster(ish) indie rock band called Attack In Black. Still he gets nothing but praise in this article. In fact you go out of your way to not label him a hipster.
1 gun up for excellent music and songs. 1 gun down for lack of examination of his excessive hipster irony.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 11:26 pm
I don’t hear any irony in this album. The artist’s extraneous musical activities should be irrelevant when reviewing a specific album.
CONFUCIUS SAY
January 22, 2013 @ 11:43 pm
That’s sure is a fine comment Mr. Eric (I mean Trigg). One of which I might agree with after drinking a frosty Coors or two and playing a game of darts. Trigg however has a different set of standards or has in the past. My assumption is you are him though so you should know that already.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 11:46 pm
Yes, I am the mighty Trigg! Do not cross me, or I shall ban you! Mwahahahaha!
Trigger
January 23, 2013 @ 12:12 am
This is an excellent question and I’m glad that you raised it.
You have no idea how bad I wanted to include Johny Corndawg Fritz’s name in this review and to make comparisons between the two artists. The simple fact is that I was too hard on Johny at the beginning, and I have admitted as much many times both publicly and to Johny personally. Johny and I have talked in depth about the whole “hipster” identity and stereotype, and you can listen or read the interview here:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/jonny-corndawg-talks-country-music-hipsters
It doesn’t mean I still don’t understand and don’t appreciate some of the elements Johny brings to his music or his persona or presentation, or that I distance from my original opinions. Mostly my initial Johny Corndawg review was a reactionary outburst stimulated by American Songwriter calling Johny our generation’s David Allan Coe, which I still believe to be absurd in so many ways.
But this is the thing. I attempted to learn from that conflict with Johny Corndawg. I took the wisdom from talking personally to him about how inherently unfair the hipster stereotype is, and I used that new understanding to write this review here. I’m not backpedaling. I’m not making a double standard. I am admitting my mistakes, and attempting to evolve.
The reason I didn’t mention Johny’s name is because as I explained in the review specifically, the music is quite different. Daniel Romano may be a “hipster” (your words), but there’s no “fucking underwater in a Chevy Baretta” or other such ironic lines like in Down on the Bikini Line. I chose my words talking about the POTENTIAL for either Daniel Romero being a “hipster” or this album being ironic very carefully.
Like I said in response to Ga. Outlaw above, I want to see Daniel live. I want to talk to him. I want to see that his love for country music is genuine, because that’s what I saw in Johny Fritz that allowed me to put and bullshit about “hipster” identity aside.
Just like with Johny Fritz, there’s a lot of platitudes being placed on Daniel Romano. Ga. Outlaw said this is his album of the year so far, and I’ve heard that from a few people. It very well may be that Daniel Romano is the lizard king of all hipsters and this album is total irony. But I learned from my mistake with Johny Fritz to not say that until you’ve dug deeper.
Good question.
Eric
January 22, 2013 @ 11:30 pm
“wait for the phone to ring just before the moment that I lost everything”
Clever line.
Spoony
January 23, 2013 @ 12:50 am
Listen to the whole album here:
http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/8
I got “Middle Child” as part of the CMT Edge free sampler from Amazon a couple months ago. I thought the plot to be silly but found the music very compelling. And apparently I was wrong about the plot. I would be happy to buy this mp3 album for $5, but I’m not willing to pay the full price just yet.
olds
January 23, 2013 @ 4:22 am
the man knows how to craft a song….i just bought it. ive been a fan of his for a few months now…i stumbled onto him via SPotify…the first song of his that just totally floored me was this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t16A-kBQubg
the cover seems campy…yes… but there is no denying the quality of these songs…especially the chorus.. i was tired as hell last night, wanting to go sit down somewhere, but there i stood in the kitchen with a cold beer, listening to these songs unfold. he’s captured something here– a feel- that I personally need more of…. that steel guitar player deserves a mention too…theres something to be said about graceful accompaniment.
im not scared of hipsters…. im scared of shitty music.
yessir
January 24, 2013 @ 8:35 am
Yeah I’ll listen to hipster sing a song like two pillow sleeper over an Eric Church signing homeboy any day.
Johnny Omaha
January 23, 2013 @ 7:38 am
I like it. The instrumentation is far above par and the melodies ache. Good enough for this guy. And that suit is SICK!
Dan
January 23, 2013 @ 9:27 am
I have seen him live and I think he is great. The songs speak for themselves i think.
I can see how someone might see some “hipster irony” in Mr. Romano, but I don’t think you can write and play these songs with just irony. You have to have a love and respect for country music.
Also, he had a pretty cushy gig playing guitar in City and Colour. You have to love country music to give that up and go play this record in bars.
He could be playing Albert Hall, and Red Rocks with City and Colour.
Ringo Starrr
January 23, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
I love this record! Very refreshing in a familiar way. Lots of the instrumentation and harmony vocals remind me of those classic Gram/Burrito records.
yessir
January 24, 2013 @ 8:10 am
I was thinking the same exact thing when listening to this record.
olds
January 24, 2013 @ 9:25 am
yes…his voice has a similarity to gram for sure…
WitchfinderGeneral
January 30, 2013 @ 4:02 pm
Such an excellent album. I’ll admit, I probably wouldn’t have even checked it out just based on the kinda creepy cover if I hadn’t read this. But after listening to it, really glad I did. I can care less if he’s trying to be ironic or whatever, these be some damn good songs. Album of the year so far! (even if it is the only one I’ve listened to yet hah) Now to check out his previous releases.
goldencountry
January 30, 2013 @ 5:45 pm
Great stuff I’ll have to put it on my wish list
SyntheticPaper
January 30, 2013 @ 10:43 pm
Listening to this right now and really enjoying it, great album. I suppose the hipster thing could go either way, but regardless, this is a very enjoyable album.
Shon
December 31, 2013 @ 9:46 pm
Damn I can’t believe my son and I missed this guy till now! Usually I trust in Trigg for all the new music I take interest in but my son caught wind of Daniel on YouTube in the “suggested” vids section while listening to Sturgill Simson videos. Either way Trigg led us to both great artist. I first heard fellow Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson on this website. I search Daniel Romano and find lots of articles and mentions of him on here. Awesome. Best things about 2013 = Sturgill Simpson and Daniel Romano.