Album Review – Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth”
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that country music is a limiting format for expression, whether that’s Sturgill Simpson, Luke Bryan, some pointy-headed pontificate writing for a self-absorbed periodical, or anyone else. That’s absolute sophistry. Try telling that to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, and the other overlords of Western Swing who took simple country stories and developed them into one of the most sophisticated and advanced forms of musical expression of the last 100 years. It even had the jassmasters of the era nodding with approval. Tell that to composers like Béla Fleck and Mark O’Connoer, who have re-witten the lesson books on what is possible through stringed instrumentation.
Tell that to an artist like John Hartford, who took what some believed to be an outmoded old-time form of music, and made it into a platform where virtually anything was sonically possible. Tell that to Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers, and institutions like the Berklee College of Music that are developing bluegrass maestros that are as adept as any of the musicians manning critical spots in America’s topmost symphonies. Tell that to songwriters like Kris Kirstofferson and Guy Clark, who found brand new ways to express emotions that have been illustrated in the English language since the time of Shakespeare.
And tell that to Willie Nelson, Paul Kennerley, Marty Stuart, and Hank Williams III’s, who bristled at the idea that country music could only offer a limited experience, and energized by this challenge, bent their backs to constructing conceptualized albums that would not just set the pace for the possibility of expression in country music, but in all of music, and not always through layering on new and advanced forms of electronic instrumentation, or by employing horn and string sections, but through simplifying and stripping down the recording and production process to where nothing stood in the way of the raw inspiration for the music, and the listener’s ear.
The idea that country music is somehow a limited musical format is an illusion, and an excuse. Instrumentation is just the clothing; it’s what you say, and how you say it that counts. The only true restrictions a country music artist or any musician faces are those they put on themselves.
There are two reasons why artists may find the recognized confines of country music as constricting. The first comes from a performer’s motivation to make country music an element of great commercial enterprise by reaching the widest possible audience. And to do so, they must borrow or steal influences from other genres to appeal to as many ears as possible. The other reason is boredom.
Sturgill Simpson was bored with country music by the time his debut album High Top Mountain hit the shelves. If you didn’t see this, you weren’t paying attention. This is not a criticism of Sturgill necessarily. It was out of that boredom that his second album and breakout release Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was born. He wanted to stretch the boundaries of country and do something fresh to keep himself interested, while still remaining attached to country’s roots. His third release, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, stretches those boundaries even further, and then goes beyond them.
What has been one of the most revered artists in the independent and traditional country realm in the last few years has now become one of the most polarizing, as we have seen happen time and time again with predecessors in that position. Sturgill Simpson has made an album that is not particularly country, but just as much as the music itself, it has been the communication surrounding the album that has put him at critical odds with many who once championed him. Sturgill Simpson made himself patently clear about wanting to make an authentic country record when it came to High Top Mountain. The talk surrounding A Sailor’s Guide to Earth was about synthesizers, an appreciation for Skrillex, how (former) producer Dave Cobb thought the new record would piss some people off, and how Sturgill didn’t really consider himself a country music artist anymore. This wasn’t speculation, this was what was coming out ahead of the release from those involved directly.
Then when the first single from the new album “Brace For Impact” was released, and the degree of country-ness of the track was questioned, Sturgill reversed course somewhat and said that no matter what, when he opens his mouth, it will be country.
Song Review Sturgill Simpson’s “Brace For Impact (Live A Little)”
But it’s not Sturgill’s voice, or even the limited amount of old-school moog synthesizer that made it onto the final mixes of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth that has some country purists up in arms, it’s the presence of the Dap-Kings horn section on a good half of the tracks. You can’t have saxophone and horn sections in country music, right? But remember how this conversation started a few paragraphs ago, citing Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys? Even some of the most early incarnations of country music featured horn sections, and saxophones specifically. Bob Wills loved hillbilly and Western music, but he also loved the big band sounds of the era, and saw how horns could bring country music the respect it deserved.
For those that say a saxophone has no place in country music, they clearly haven’t seen Merle Haggard perform in the last 35 years. In fact maybe Sturgill got the idea from Merle, who he’d become very close with prior to Merle’s recent passing.
The problem with the horns on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is not their presence, it’s how they feel just a bit superfluous. If you envision horns on a particular song and have the budget to spring for them, why not? But here the splurge feels a little forced and self-indulgent. Today in the roots and “Americana” realm, bringing horns into the mix is not taking a risk or making a statement, it’s about the most conformist and trend-chasing thing you can do. That’s not to say this was Sturgill’s motivation, but if you’ve been listening to the records coming from his former producer Dave Cobb, you’ll know at least some horns are expected on your record these days. Similarly, some of the songs on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth feel like they’re in that really trendy Muscle Shoals style that everybody in east Nashville and beyond is falling over themselves to emulate, for whatever reason. And others feel too busy because the horns are forced into the mix, while the words and original melody get buried.
Slapping a genre tag on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is complicated, and this is likely the culprit for Sturgill being a little wishy washy on if he considers the album country himself. There are a couple of songs you would call country before you would call them anything else, and the steel guitar work of Dan Dugmore is featured throughout this record, even though it doesn’t always sound like a traditional steel. So ultimately, if you truly are a music lover, you have to set all the arguments of genre aside, and enjoy the album for what it is, because the genre of the album is too nebulous to use this as the basis for a dissenting viewpoint. If Sturgill had defiantly called this album country from the very beginning, few would have questioned him and this wouldn’t even be a discussion.
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is a record Sturgill Simpson wrote for his young son who was born right as Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was entering its “release cycle” as they say in the business. You don’t need anyone to tell you what the songs are about on this album; Sturgill pretty much spells it right out for you. He uses the record to directly impart wisdom and knowledge to his young son, as well as delve into a bit of his own history as a former member of the Navy, and his perils with drugs.
The personal nature of this record is almost startling. Sturgill can be hard to understand when singing, but if you lay out the lyric sheets to the songs, they read like the most intimate poems from a father to his son, and are nearly fearless in how they bare Sturgill’s feelings of guilt when leaving home, and missing out on important milestones in his young son’s life. This theme is reinforced when Sturgill re-imagines a song from his first band Sunday Valley called “Sarah” about similar guilt, only towards his lover.
A cynic might say that much of the writing on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is a little too direct. There’s not a lot of subtly to this record. At certain times, Sturgill is telling his son to stay in school and stay off drugs, and to make sure to live for today. At moments the language can feel a little bit trite. There’s just not much left to the imagination. The story is not allowed to meld to the individual perspective of the listener, or the room to blossom into one of those “ah ha” moments like you might experience when listening to Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.”
There’s a time in every first parent’s life when starring at their offspring, they go through this complete reorganization of thought where they put themselves second. It was in the midst of these moments that A Sailor’s Guide to Earth was written and recorded. But that moment in most people’s lives has been so editorialized in life, it can feel cliche, or even self-centered to talk about about it, at least with the abundance found on this record.
If this is a concept album, and we can only assume it so since Sturgill is so insistent that the tracks be listened to consecutively, it may have made the message to everyone but his son a little more effective if Sturgill had told the story of a sailor imparting wisdom to his son in third person for example, or found some other way to let the imagination thrive with the words.
Similarly, Sturgill has a couple of moments of lashing out at war and the infiltration of technology into our lives that also could have benefited from a more nuanced approach.
Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq & Iran
North Korea, tell me where does it end
The bodies keep piling up every day
How many more are they gonna send
They send our sons and daughters off to die for some oil and to control the heroin
Son I hope you don’t grow up believing that you have to be a puppet to be a man
Are we at war with North Korea or Iran? Is the conflict in Syria about heroin or oil? The “war sucks” message, as well as other statements about how love is the answer to life, and how reality is just a dream (broached on Metamodern in ample doses too) lack a little of the poetic expression or realism that would make these proverbs more welcomed and resonant in the listener.
But the message and writing of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth remains much more a plus than a minus. It’s in the musical decisions that battle lines will be drawn by some. Beyond the discussion of the horns, it’s the dolphin cries on “Breaker’s Roar” (likely done through guitar effect), or the moog-driven dissolve at the end of “Brace For Impact” that will have certain country fans up and arms and screaming “See!” after they feel abandoned by one of their heroes once again. Overall though, Sturgill, acting as both songwriter and producer, did an admiral job creating a seamless, involved, and enchanting listening journey that carries on a cohesive mood and theme, and awakens the imagination to offer enhancement to the messages he looks to convey.
For example on the song “Keep It Between The Lines,” it starts off with sailors at sea in some sort of rhythmic chant, that then that chant gets translated to the horn section in the body of the song, while little percussive bells indicative of seafaring scenes reinforce the vibe of being out on the ocean. It’s moments like this that make it hard to second guess Sturgill’s decision to produce the album himself.
How individuals perceive A Sailor’s Guide to Earth almost precedes the album, and has almost become as important as the music itself, however unfairly so. Sturgill Simpson is a hot hand right now, and so everyone wants to assign philosophical ideals to Sturgill’s creative expressions as reinforcement or validation of their own. Rednecks want to point to the horns to prove it’s not country. NPR wants to take a slightly off understanding of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” as an anti-gun stance. Rolling Stone may have the most quizzical assertion, when reviewer Will Hermes said about the final song “Call To Arms,” “The song storms through a spangled rave-up worthy of Elvis Presley’s TCB band, with verses that suggest Waylon Jennings on a hip-hop kick.”
Once again someone can’t help but shallowly compare Sturgill to Waylon, and how the hip-hop thing gets worked in there, I don’t know. I guess because it’s not entirely country or done in a heavy tone, we have to call it hip-hop? This is the problem with passing the Sturgill Simpson assignment to hip-hop and indie rock reviewers, which happens more than actual country reviewers giving their opinions. With an elementary understanding of Sturgill’s music and country in general, some of today’s journalists have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. That’s where the Waylon comparison’s come from, because they know nothing else to compare Sturgill to, and how all the “country savior” talk got stoked, stetting some listeners up with unfair expectations of what Sturgill and this album should be.
Song Review Sturgill Simpson’s “In Bloom” (Nirvana Cover)
But after all the ridiculous talk that Sturgill was going to go EDM, that he was going to completely abandon his country roots, and that he had sold out now that he’s signed to Atlantic Records—all of these concerns seem silly after listening to the album. At the same time, so will many of the vociferous accolades that you will see rolling in that mark out decades since a comparable record was released to the public. Both of these estimations come from mood swings and first impressions, when ultimately A Sailor’s Guide to Earth sits down in a well rested spot as a pretty cool conceptualized album with a little bit of country on it, and a little bit of everything else.
Will it reshape the country genre, similar to how Chris Stapleton’s Traveller has done? Will it win any mainstream radio play, or be considered for CMA Awards? I would be very surprised if it scores on any of these accounts. It may not even chart in country music after we witnessed Green River Ordinance get jobbed earlier this year. The album’s favor will likely be found on end-of-year lists, and perhaps on the Grammy Awards’ pre-telecast. But A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is not a game changer for anything or anyone except Sturgill Simpson.
So no, Sturgill Simpson will not be a country music savior. That ship, as they say, has sailed. And had a long time ago if you had been paying attention.
But A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is a good album, a valiant follow up to Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and is yet another solid offering in an impressive and growing musical career for one of America’s and roots music’s most unique, interesting, and diverse artists.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up (8/10)
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sbach66
April 15, 2016 @ 8:24 am
I listened to it via the NPR stream last week, and I ordered it from Amazon as well. I like it, but my biggest fear is that the hipsters are going to claim victory due to everything you point out above regarding genre and how it (and he) fits it with “country” music.
And that’s a shame, because I think it’s a damn fine album, regardless of how it’s classified.
Jimmy Row
April 15, 2016 @ 8:24 am
Now that you got that out of your system Sturg, I’m looking forward to your next album
James
April 15, 2016 @ 2:10 pm
Completely agree. Nothing special with this one.
RG
April 15, 2016 @ 5:49 pm
Agreed as well. No flow from this album. Seems it has no direction. Way too much horn action. I was hoping for a mix of metamodern and some new soul material. But it just seems like Sturgill couldn’t decide what he really wanted out of this album. Still love ya Sturg, but expected more from this album.
1 gun up. Because I don’t feel like shooting my guns.
Blackwater
April 15, 2016 @ 9:07 pm
Agree… Album comes off pretentious and just plain uninspiring. The horns are awful and distracting and way overused. I worried it was going to suck and it does.
Will Ashby
April 15, 2016 @ 2:50 pm
If you’re looking for a traditional country album like High Top Mountain, you aren’t going to get it. He’s said before that he’s bored of making it.
Jimmy Row
April 15, 2016 @ 3:38 pm
I was looking for metamodern part II.
The Original WTF Guy
April 18, 2016 @ 6:35 am
Then why not just go back and listen to metamodern part 1?
Joshua R.
April 21, 2016 @ 12:28 am
High Top was better.
Boatwrong
April 15, 2016 @ 8:26 am
I enjoyed the album thoroughly. “Call to Arms” was my favorite on this album. The brass gives the album some life. I’ll listen to anything Sturgill puts out. Regardless of whether the album is “country” or not, it is 100 times better than the shit on the radio.
Big Cat
April 15, 2016 @ 5:10 pm
Amen brother. And most of people who bitch didn’t even have a clue who he was before Meta came out. Now they claim High Top is their favorite yet the guy could barely scrape enough together to record Meta. Whatever…..the dude is just a badass. I hope he keeps doing what he’s doing.
Joshua R.
April 24, 2016 @ 6:36 pm
Except some of us actually did know who he was before and actually bought High Top when it was debuted. And yea, it is still hands down my favorite Sturgill Album.
The way I see it there isn’t even that many people complaining that they don’t like it. What I see more of is people saying, “You don’t like this album? Your opinion is invalid. Sturgill is God!”
Yes, I love Sturgill Simpson, but I’m also allowed to be disappointed to.
Joshua R.
April 24, 2016 @ 7:01 pm
But I do understand what you’re saying.
J Swanson
April 15, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
I was really taken by “Call To Arms” as well. I described it to my friend as “CSNY’s ‘Ohio’, set to T. Rex’s ‘The Motivator,’ done in the style of ‘The Great Curve’ by Talking Heads, as the closing track on a country album.”
J Swanson
April 15, 2016 @ 9:05 pm
I described “Call To Arms” to my friend like this: CSNY’s “Ohio”, set to T. Rex’s “The Motivator”, done in the style of “The Great Curve” by Talking Heads, as the closing track on a country album.
Mo Crawford
April 15, 2016 @ 8:26 am
he’s so much better and innovative than Stapleton,not even close
BwareDWare94
April 15, 2016 @ 8:49 am
You hit the nail on the head. Chris Stapleton is great, sure. Sturgill Simpson is transcendent. Stapleton might not even release another great record.
Brandon
April 15, 2016 @ 9:02 am
Stapleton likes to screech I find, he is a good singer but definitely nowhere near the elite class that Sturgill belongs.
James
April 15, 2016 @ 2:13 pm
This is utter nonsense. I love Sturgill, but his vocal talent is not in the same league as Stapleton’s
RG
April 15, 2016 @ 5:52 pm
I tend to agree with that. A Stapleton voice comes around only so often. I love Sturgill’s voice but it doesn’t have the range of Stapleton.
Applejack
April 15, 2016 @ 9:07 am
I don’t see the point of pitting them against each other.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:15 am
Agreed. Two completely different artists with different approaches. They’re both great for different moods and mindsets. I would agree that Sturgill is a bit more innovative, but that’s only because he’s had more time to release solo albums. Who knows what Stapleton will do next.
Andrew
April 15, 2016 @ 4:09 pm
They’re completely different artists. Sturgill isn’t interested in doing anything like what the SteelDrivers did, nor does Stapleton seem interested in the sort of things Sturgill is doing here. Both are among the best artists out there right now and trying to rank one against the other is a horrible disservice to them both.
KGD
April 15, 2016 @ 6:11 pm
Not to derail the thread, but Stapleton isn’t interested in doing anything like the SteelDrivers did either. He played one SteelDrivers song here in Atlanta, electrified, and never even gives them a nod in interviews. I’m going to see them next week and I hope they play a lot of stuff from those first two albums because they are great and it would be a shame for them to get flushed down the memory hole.
Back on track, I’ve listened to this 4 times, twice on NPR and twice since it got here today. I love it. I said to my wife that if I had any talent I would have written something like Welcome to Earth when my sons were born because it captures my mood from those times to a T.
Of course, I’m not all that nuanced. REALLY looking forward to the show in Knoxville.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 7:21 pm
The success of Chris Stapleton has been so big, I think it has markedly helped the SteelDrivers, not just in recognition, but in sales and listens if only from the curiosity factor of new fans. It also helped that they released a new album recently.
KGD
April 15, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
They’re sold out here on Friday. Margo Price here on Sunday, also sold out.
Sturgill in Knoxville in May, then Elizabeth Cook and Chris Stapleton in June in Atlanta. Embarrassment of riches.
Good review. I’ll have to revisit because there’s a lot to absorb.
Eric
April 15, 2016 @ 10:39 pm
Well, he is not nearly as country as Stapleton (at least as far as this album is concerned).
Innovation matters far less than emotion for me when it comes to music, and the songs posted above just don’t cut it.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
April 15, 2016 @ 8:30 am
It’s a good F’n album. Who’s seriously taking issue with this? Doesn’t sound much different than what Merle & Waylon were doing in the late 70s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhoq8KTfb1E
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:16 am
Read the comment right below this one.
Kale
April 15, 2016 @ 8:31 am
Ok Trig, let me get this straight:
The only thing that matters is the song itself, as in the lyrics, the feeling, the mood, the story. The music that goes along with it doesn’t matter at all. So, you can have pure EDM and drum machine beats all throughout the song, you can white boy rap a few lines, chant whoah-oah-OAH a for whole verses, and as long as it has a compelling story, it’s still a country song?
Ok…
BwareDWare94
April 15, 2016 @ 8:51 am
Don’t take his statements out of context. The EDM and drum machine songs don’t even have country elements. At least this album has some, and the songwriting chops are what set it apart from whoah-whoah/girl/tailgate/what’sconsent? hick hop.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 8:52 am
That’s exactly what the review said! Thanks for boiling it down into such simple terms!
Also, thank you for your high Vitamin A & K and folic acid content!
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:22 am
No Coop, that’s not exactly what the review said. At all. I chose my words very carefully on this matter. This is what I said, and I quote. Verbatim:
“The idea that country music is somehow a limited musical format is an illusion, and an excuse. Instrumentation is just the clothing; it”™s what you say, and how you say it that counts. The only true restrictions a country music artist or any musician faces are those they put on themselves.”
If you actually read what I said, I was DEFENDING country music instrumentation. Why are we even having a discussion on EDM and drum machines. Is any of that included on this album? No, it’s not. There was concern that it would be heading into it, to the point that I think some are disappointed it isn’t there because they want to be pissed off.
This is not a country record. But it has some country songs and instrumentation on it. Am I supposed to just immediately pan any record that’s not country? My point was NOT about it being country, my point was you can still have good music, regardless of instrumentation. And to say that you can’t express yourself in the ‘limited” environment of country is a farce.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:29 am
UPDATE: Okay, I think you might were being sarcastic Coop. Either way, I wanted to clarify my thoughts here for everyone on the genre/ instrumentation matter.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 11:04 am
Haha, yes, very sarcastic. Because you were not mincing words, you addressed everything with nuance and context. Unlike our green leafy friend above who suffers from very poor reading comprehension.
BwareDWare94
April 15, 2016 @ 11:10 am
This is just one dude’s opinion, and I know you face a larger shitstorm when you don’t take the time to better explain what you’re stating, but I do wonder if you’re worrying about it too much. The reasonable people who follow your site are not going to go bananas on you, and the unreasonable people won’t be convinced of anything but their initial response, anyway. Now, I don’t see the emails that you’re inundated with, so maybe I don’t realize the magnitude of the shitstorm that comes when you don’t go into the minutia, but you might be fighting a losing battle. You’re making a connection with boatloads of people, regardless.
Randy
April 15, 2016 @ 8:32 am
I really, really want to like this album. After a thorough listen unfortunately I cannot. I don’t fault Sturgill for pursuing his muse and broadening his creative horizons. I’m not going to even say it’s a bad album. It’s just not an album for me. It doesn’t mean I’m going to toss out all my other Sturgill stuff and give up on him. I felt similarly about Hank 3 when he came out with Cattle Callin’, Ghost to a Ghost and Attention Deficit Domination. None of those albums get much play from me, but I still love Hank 3.
Maybe over time it will grow on me, and I’ll give it a try again in the future, but I’m not really sure it’ll ever be a favorite for me.
SteveG
April 15, 2016 @ 8:45 am
I actually had the opposite problem. I came in really wanting to dislike the album. I wanted to pan it perhaps because I felt Sturgill had become too self-indulgent and ambitious with these string and horn arrangements, as if he thought he was some latter day Pet Sounds-era Brian Wilson. However, I can’t help but revisit it, and after repeated listens, I’ll admit that I thoroughly enjoy it. I still hope Sturgill comes back down to earth and releases something more in line with Metamodern next time – an experimental and imaginative effort that fits squarely within the bounds of traditional real country music. But if he keeps experimenting and expanding his infusion of genres and influences to a result this pleasing, I’ll be happy no matter what.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:24 am
Two very good comments Randy And Steve G. Balanced, thoughtful, and honest. This music is not going to be for everybody, and that’s okay. But I think we owe to all music to approach it with an open mind.
Craig
April 15, 2016 @ 10:08 am
Maybe something that people are trying say but can’t put their finger on, because it took some time for me to put my finger on it:
I like the album. It’s definitely not for everybody but it’s a very compelling milestone in the road Sturgill’s been paving, if you’ve been following him down it.
Which is also my main criticism of it. High Top and Metamodern are both fantastic albums but also very accessible. I can put either of em on when I have uninitiated friends over, and they’ll start tapping their toes. Sailors Guide is full of great stuff, but for people not familiar with Sturgill, there are only a couple of tracks on there that are going to hook them on the first listen. Welcome to Earth is one of my favorites, but it’s unapologetically sentimental and part of a story that makes more sense if you already know Sturgill wrote it to his son, who was born right when his dad’s success was starting to blossom.
Sturgill has made a point of saying this album was meant to be heard all at once. It’s a concept album on a single song cycle. That’s all well and good, but it’s just not in line with how most of us probably listen to music. Joe Rogan pointed this out in his recent interview with Sturgill, but they didn’t delve into it much. When I listen to music, I have 20 minutes here and 10 minutes there in the car, or an hour out in the garage with my buddies; I don’t want to only ever listen to the first 3-4 tracks of this album because obviously the back end was meant to be heard too, and like I said I’m not likely to put this on for a group of friends shooting the bull because it’s a little too cerebral to be a soundtrack to socializing. So I doubt this album will get as many spins from me as all of Sturgill’s previous work.
All of that said, I respect the hell out of Sturgill for making this album (which I really like!) because it’s this kind of risk-taking and not giving a damn about outside opinions that brought us Metamodern and High Top and Sunday Valley’s catalogue. And as the father of a young son, whom I drop off at daycare about a quarter mile from the now immortalized Dam Neck Navy annex, this album sometimes seems just written for us when I play it for him in the car.
Mike
April 15, 2016 @ 8:32 am
I knew Trig would call out the horns on this album. As for me, I love the sound here. Country soul for the 21st century.
The fact is that country and soul and blues and gospel and rock all spring from the same well and artists in each of those genres were influenced by each other. The best music for me has always been the stuff that recognizes these truths and Sturgill is the latest in a long line keeping up this tradition. The Muscle Shoals sound works because it understood this too.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:27 am
Just to clarify, I didn’t call out the horns. I called out how the horns were used. For a song or two, they’re fine. But I felt they got in the way in certain instances. In the end though, this could just come down to taste, and the presence of the horns didn’t really affect the grade I gave the album in any significant manner. Slightly excessive, but not an anchor on the album or anything.
Jordan Kirk
April 15, 2016 @ 8:34 am
Felt more like a “I just want to get this off my chest” than a “how can I say this in such a way to convey the message and also make people think?” Albums need some of both, so it may have been a little skewed on that, which is where I would agree with you no doubt. Really enjoyed the review
Jim Bob
April 15, 2016 @ 8:44 am
Definitely not a hard-country album, but I don’t really give two shits. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Seems he was going for a certain type of musical style and vibe on this one and he nailed the shit out of it.
Of course I prefer straight up country Sturgill, but if he wants to try something new at least he’s good at it. Not like the Nashville douche bags who all want to try rapping, but just embarrass themselves in the process.
matt rut
April 18, 2016 @ 6:34 am
Spot on Jim Bob. Doesnt have to be for everyone. Country and soul…thats a bad ass combo.
matt rut
April 18, 2016 @ 6:48 am
I love how the audience is so polarized. I would say to the extreme North and South. The great thing is that most seem to be on the same page. Not about him ditching the whole savior thing but whether or not the music moves them. It sure as hell moves my soul and I believe it’s refreshing to hear a new concept with so much other garbage out there (which no one called this album) and it sure as hell beats anything out on the radio. I like all types of music from Edward Sharpe/MGMT all the way to Merle and Waylan. But to hear an artist like Sturgill do a song cycle album is incredible. I’ve turned it over at least 10-15 times now and I am still hearing new subtleties I dint hear before. This album is in a genre all by itself and he probably meant for it to be. As he said on a recent NPR interview, he doesn’t even know how Nashville classifies its own crap.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 8:50 am
When Sturgill said something to the effect of, “This album was inspired sonically by Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Goin On?'” on the Rogan podcast, that completely eliminated any doubts about where this album would be. That record is not subtle in it’s lyrical content. And, personally, I appreciate bluntness in words. Metaphor is a wondrous thing, however, sometimes it gets old trying to dissect messages. Sonically, sound is big and convoluted because the ocean is big and convoluted. The sonic realm is trying to mimic a landscape, and does so impeccably, in my opinion.This may turn into one of my favorite albums, but I’m also a sucker for concept albums.
Also, spot on review. Don’t let the bastards get you down.
GregN
April 15, 2016 @ 9:36 am
Speaking of What’s Goin On…
This is the best concept album I’ve heard SINCE then! One song flows into another perfectly on both, the production and instrumentation are superb on both.
Blew me away, had me in tears after the first listen.
Thank you Sturgill.
Lq
April 16, 2016 @ 2:30 pm
I’m a day late to this party but I agree with you on the straight-forwardness of the lyrics being kind of refreshing. At first listen, I wanted to hear some of the more thought-provoking, complex lines from Metamodern, but I’m not so sure about that now. I read a lot of poetry (English majors unite!)–and to me, songwriters like Sturgill and especially Isbell, are very often poets themselves–and sometimes as I’m reading an incredibly nuanced and layered poem, I’m screaming “Just fucking say what you mean!!!” in my head. I may be simple-minded but sometimes it’s nice to just be hit with the obvious.
That being said, I think a lot of the directness here is merely a result of this being to his son. I doubt Sturgill wanted to saddle his future teenage or adult son with the task of dissecting his lyrics and making some sort of meaning from them 15 or so years hence. This seems like more of a “this is for you, here’s who I am right now, and you’ll always have this to know me by” gift for his child, which I think is beautiful, regardless of the genre and who he is or isn’t pissing off with this being country or non-country or whatever it is or isn’t.
Any parent will attest that nothing, and I mean nothing, quite lays you bare like having a child, especially during those first days and months. So much so that I would imagine that sitting down and penning complex lyrics when your sheer love for your baby practically brings you to your knees multiple times a day would be particularly unappealing. Just my (long-winded) two cents…
PS. I’m not taking issue with the review at all. It is very thorough and thoughtful and well-written and I agree with a whole lot of it. Great work!
Jimmy Row
April 15, 2016 @ 8:51 am
Musicans and more specifically country musicians talk all the time about not wanting to be held by the limitations of a genre. Yet they rarely think outside the “1-4-5” song structure when trying to work outside the confines of genres. Added surpefulous instrumentation doesn’t guarantee a song will be anything really groundbreaking or new, just added layers to something that’s been done. Working non traditional chord structures into a genre and having it still capture the essence of the genre is the true challenge and where most (musicians) wanting to break free fail. So keep trying Sturg, but loose the motown bullshit.
On a related note, Merle’s sax stuff gets the gong around here.
My band has played with a sax player a few times and I can tell you they are fun to play with but like harmonica players, they don’t know when to shut the fuck up!
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 8:55 am
Should Willie Nelson also lose the “Motown bullshit”?
Jimmy Row
April 15, 2016 @ 9:20 am
Fuck yes. Lets not forget the greats are not infallible. Plenty of stinkers from Mr. Nelson
Mike W.
April 15, 2016 @ 12:57 pm
Exactly. I love Willie, but I am probably never going to listen to his reggae album again.
I don’t mind Sturgill releasing this type of album, I just hope that we don’t have a super long wait between albums again. Not expecting him to be like Willie, but at least Willie is generally really smart at releasing a Soul or Jazz album, followed up by a Country album within a relatively short period of time.
If this is the only album Sturgill is going to put out for the next 2-3 years it’s gonna be kinda disappointing to me because I just don’t feel like this is an album I can see myself listening to over and over again in even a few weeks or months, much less years.
Dogit
April 15, 2016 @ 1:31 pm
Hang on, Willie release an album or two every single year. you did not have to wait years to get new material to forgot the crappy reggae album. I love willie, but that album sucked and was a total waste of money. My fear is we wont get another Sturgill album for 2 years…….
Whiskey Pete (form. peter_caix)
April 18, 2016 @ 9:19 am
Yes..and his squirrely voice.
BwareDWare94
April 15, 2016 @ 8:53 am
I love the horns on this record. I agree that they’re self-indulgent, but the guy knows what he’s doing, so it doesn’t matter.
Jf
April 15, 2016 @ 8:53 am
I actually think the record is pretty darn good. The Nirvana cover still sounds like a joke to me — just smothered in wrong sauce. But overall, I think the record is pretty strong and I like it a hell of a lot more than “Metamodern.” But then I didn’t like “Metamodern” at all. Horns didn’t bother me at all, and I am not a big horns guy.
Angelo
April 15, 2016 @ 8:54 am
I wanted to root for him so much, but after this album I can’t. It may be excellent, but it is not country.
We need a savior who is not afraid to use steel and fiddles.
I am waiting for Jon Pardi and Mo Pitney to make their moves.
Alternative-Americana will get us nowhere if we want country music to be reedemed.
Sturgill is a great talented singer-songwriter, but he’s not who I am waiting for. Nor is Stapleton.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:32 am
There is actually tons of steel guitar on this album. But it’s run through so many pedals and stylized, you barely know it.
Big Cat
April 15, 2016 @ 9:50 pm
If you barely know it throughout this album your not wanting to hear it.
TheRealBobCephus
April 15, 2016 @ 10:26 am
Why the hell are you waiting for someone? There is plenty of good country music being released today. This idea that we need to wait around for someone to come in and change the whole paradigm of the genre is ridiculous. Also please stop trying to pigeon hole this guy. It was pretty obvious from the Meta-modern he was moving away from straight laced traditional country not towards it.
Angelo
April 15, 2016 @ 11:37 am
We need good and real country music on the radio, lots of indie musicians are excellent but I want mainstream to be changed by someone or someones.
If you’re happy with indie singers, good for you.
TheRealBobCephus
April 15, 2016 @ 11:53 am
The FM radio as a viable format is in its death throes, lying on the floor waiting for someone to smother it with a pillow, as has been pointed out here on this site repeatedly. Satellite radio formats are a viable option and there are several channels that provide ample room for country artists. I know FM radio still drives sales and money to some extent, but really for how much longer? Who listens to the radio these days anyways? I don’t even know what the country radio stations are in my area and I have been living here for two years. Almost no one under the age of 30 listens to the radio on a regular basis. And I don’t know who you count as an Indie artists and what not, but a guys like Jason Eady, Whitey Morgan, and Cody Jinks are making perfectly legit country music, do you really need some dude on an irrelevant format?
Rob
April 15, 2016 @ 8:58 am
I have a problem where I don’t like some songs as much because I can’t relate to them, and this happens some on this album. I’m 16 years old and definitely not a father, so that turns me off of some of it, not being able to relate. Still I think there are good songs on the album and I want it, I’ve just listened to the previews on iTunes. I really hope he doesn’t get progressively less country over time. I still can like some stuff that isn’t country though, although my preference is country. So I hope he goes back to being more country, but I think he’s done some good on this album and people need to quit putting it down strictly because he is not obligated to do exactly what you want, although I prefer country, if he truly decided that he wanted to do some genre bending stuff I mean that’s his decision, either listen or don’t. If it’s too far out of your comfort zone then don’t listen, I get that, but don’t act like he’s a traitor, he can sing what he wants.
Kevin H.
April 15, 2016 @ 8:58 am
This album should have been titled “Metamodern Sounds in Soul Music.” While some of the songs may have steel guitar, there’s not much country here which by itself isn’t a bad thing. However the neo-soul thing is very popular right now and it just seems to me that instead of being different and doing his own thing, he’s jumping on the bandwagon. Justin Townes Earle did the country-neo-soul thing back in 2012. Leon Bridges is really popular for his take on neo-soul and Nathaniel Rateliff is getting there as well. Horns are not new and it baffles me that Sturgill thinks he’s being somehow unique and creative by adding them into the mix.
Additionally he’s not the first person to have songs that seamlessly blend into the next one. This has been a thing for years with people who want to make a “concept” album. Again he makes it seem like it’s this wild thing that no ones ever done.
Regardless, I think the album is good for a few listens but I can’t see myself ever really jamming these songs individually. None of them really work by themselves. I do expect it to get rave reviews from all the non-country journalists because they like to hop on bandwagons too. We’ll see how it goes.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 9:06 am
I am really curious as to where he has said he’s being “unique and creative” by adding horns and also, where it was described as a “wild thing” to do when making a concept album? Please provide links or articles. Because I’m honestly curious and in no way insinuating that you are completely projecting your disdain for this album into quotes and feelings that you have no clue if the artist possesses.
Kevin H.
April 15, 2016 @ 9:08 am
Read his interviews where he talks about the album having no time between tracks or about having horns.
Jim Bob
April 15, 2016 @ 9:20 am
Did you miss the parts where he said he was doing that because some of his favorite albums went right from one song into the next? He very clearly understood it wasn’t wild or unique, he just liked the style
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:39 am
I think Kevin H makes a really good point about Justin Townes Earle. Remember, his early records were produced by Dave Cobb too. Everyone forgets that. Earle was really the groundbreaker here in Americana, yet he has been forgotten by so many.
As for the “is the concept album a groundbreaking idea” argument. This is EXACTLY what I mean by saying the talk about the album has preceded the album itself. I’m not sure that Sturgill has called it groundbreaking, but the sycophants in the media sure have, pretty much proclaiming him the next David Bowie. It’s really cool to release a conceptualized album, but Sturgill is not reinventing the wheel here. That’s not to diminish him in any way, but the media is creating lofty expectations in people’s minds (including calling him a country savior) that is unfair to Sturgill and everyone else.
Kevin H.
April 15, 2016 @ 10:39 am
Thanks Trig, that’s what I was getting at.
Cool Lester Smooth
April 18, 2016 @ 2:06 pm
Yeah.
For me, as far as this “generation” (for want of a better term) goes, I’ll put Isbell and Earle pretty firmly before Sturgill, whom I love.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 15, 2016 @ 8:58 am
I don’t care what kind of music it is. I don’t care what kind of music Luke Bryan makes, I only care when Luke Bryan tells me that rap is Country and that I’m an old fart for disagreeing. I couldn’t care less what kind of music it is, until somebody tries to tell me how I should think.
I llooooooove Green Day, and I looooooove Ernie Ford, and I seldom go a week without listening to Byron Berline.
And I love Sturgill Simpson too!
He can choose to call it whatever the heck he wants, and I don’t care if it’s Country or not because it’s good music that tells a story, and unless he tries to tell he how I should think or how I should feel or how Country Music is “supposed to be” then he’s alright in my book.
And for the record, as a former sailor myself I really love the seafaring theme, so I really like the direction he took here. Maybe a little overproduced, but that can be chalked up to a difference of opinion. I think songs that tell stories about certain lifestyles are just plain going away. Not a whole lot of songs about the railroads anymore, not a whole lot of songs about walking anywhere, since everybody has cars, and in most circles songs about sailing are hard to come by.
And the beauty of Sturgill’s drug-based material is how neutral and impartial it is. He doesn’t offer an opinion either way on the politics of the issue, and in this world in which so many artists make fools and losers of themselves by being public with their stupid ideas, Sturgill speaks the truth, without bias, and doesn’t take sides.
Josh Calahan
April 15, 2016 @ 9:00 am
Great review Trig. I was seriously looking forward to your review as much as the album itself. Thanks for introducing me to Sturgill. I’ve seen him twice in concert.
I love the album. So far “Sea Stories” is my favorite track. For some reason it reminds me of “Jambalaya”. Music first, genre second; I give it Two Guns Way Up!
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:40 am
Thanks Josh.
Fred
April 15, 2016 @ 9:03 am
The lengthy discussion of genre and public perception sort of buried the lead in this review, that this album is pretty darn good music. I’d be more inclined to argue over whether this is “country” or not if I felt like Sturgill were changing his sound to chase trends or sell albums. But I don’t get that sense at all.
Sturgill made an adventurous, challenging album here. And maybe it’s just because I’m the father of a young son, myself, but the lyrics and storytelling consistently hit me right square in the feelings. But I don’t think you have to be a parent to relate to the overall message that love is the most unifying and binding force in all of human existence, a theme that I think could probably form the central thesis to this album and ‘Metamodern Sounds.’
Finally, Trig rightly points out that there’s a lot of Muscle Shoals on this record. In fact, that classic soul feel might be the most unifying sonic element of the record. And maybe Trig’s right that it’s a growing trend among roots artists. But that doesn’t make it any less thrilling when the horn section jumps in halfway through the opening track.
This is a good album, you guys. Let’s support it and not get sidetracked by too much talk of genre and musical conventions and “country saviors.” We should devote more time to encouraging all our favorite artists to display the same kind of ambition and passion that ‘A Sailor’s Guide’ exudes.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 9:07 am
Fred, you’re the most level comment in this section so far. Thank you.
Charlie
April 15, 2016 @ 9:07 am
The best vanity album since In the Life of Chris Gaines.
It’s like he took his boots off BEFORE he commenced to kicking asses.
I’m not buying the album. I like a couple songs, though.
Whiskey Pete (form. peter_caix)
April 15, 2016 @ 9:11 am
Son-of-a-bitch went R&B on me.
First you have something against facial hair and flannels. Now I’m listening to saxophones, Dap Kings, sailor music that reminds me of Yellow submarine or something. I’m feeling a little salty.
Must be a new strain of marijuana.
Pass.
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 9:13 am
Sturgill has a better voice than Shooter Jennings. But the music sounds exactly like something Shooter would or could do, and would be criticized for…
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:43 am
Let’s talk when Sturgill is purposely promoting pictures of himself fitted out with a keytar.
I do agree though, there is some sort of Shooter-ish vibe to this record. You don’t have to be “unique” and “weird” to be creative. I think this is a common misconception.
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 10:10 am
I’m not a huge Shooter fan or anything, but you really do like to criticize how he looks in pictures, many of them old. Whether it is the keytar or that picture of him shirtless with the white fur coat… I get it. He looks ridiculous. But, why do guys like Hank III, Jayke Orvis,or the midgets from Devil Makes Three get a pass? I find full chest pieces, neck tats, face tats, ear gauges, and whatever those fucking things in their lips are called to be really juvenile and ridiculous. More ridiculous than a fur coat or keytar, certainly. There isn’t much excuse for a keytar. However, the dude from Yes used a keytar, and if you’re going to make a prog concept album, a nod to Yes could be in order…
Acca Dacca
April 15, 2016 @ 1:02 pm
Going to catch a GNR reunion show, RD?
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 1:23 pm
Yep. I paid way too much for four tickets. Are you?
Acca Dacca
April 15, 2016 @ 1:46 pm
Nah, I’m saving my money for the Nirvana reunion tour.
But in all seriousness, I only like to splurge on my favorite artists. Appetite For Destruction is one of my favorite rock albums, but GNR didn’t really do much for me after that so I wouldn’t count the band among my favorites. Plus, only Slash and Duff came back and while Slash is perhaps the deal breaker for many fans, I think it rings a little hollow as a “reunion.” Not to mention that Axl broke his foot or something and has been sitting in a chair with a cast at shows.
I will say, though, that if the tickets were cheaper I’d definitely go to see them. Particularly since it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they end up going their separate ways once again in the coming months. Axl Rose is easily one of the most volatile public figures in art/entertainment in history. Now, AC/DC? I’d give an arm and a leg to see them, especially since they’ve apparently fired Brian Johnson and have hired Axl of all people to fill in for the remaining dates. I hoping all of this is just rumors, but the band’s silence on the issue seems to confirm it as at least partly true.
Why did you need four tickets, by the way? Taking the whole family?
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 5:05 pm
Me and all three of my wives
Acca Dacca
April 17, 2016 @ 12:34 pm
Really? I never would have figured you for a resident of Utah.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 2:14 pm
The point i was trying to make was Shooter is purposefully trying to be provocative and piss off rednecks by posing with a keytar. That’s a far cry from adding some old school moog at the end of one song.
I see a lot of folks who say, “but you’ll criticize anything Shooter puts out.” I haven’t even reviewed Shooter last few albums, principally because his fans can’t take it. I could give him two guns up, and I would still have death threats sent to my family by morning. And believe it or not, I have STILL written more positive or neutral reviews for Shooter than negative ones.
michael
April 16, 2016 @ 12:29 pm
I agree with Trig here.
I also recall when Shooter’s interesting (to me at least) “Countach (For Giorgio)” album came out, how bummed I was that we wouldn’t get a review here due to (more than) a few dickhead fans. Bummer, that. I liked it, but I also enjoyed Chinese Democracy, take that how you will.
Anyway, back to somewhat-more country music….this Sturgill album, to me, seems to exist perfectly within the statement, “All good music is soul music,” which I think Stu himself once said.
Applejack
April 15, 2016 @ 10:02 am
On a kinda random note, I’ve never listened to Shooter’s music all that much, but I loved his track on the Southern Family album. I think it’s underrated.
Frank the Tank
April 15, 2016 @ 9:57 pm
I enjoyed that track too. I have his first three albums and there are some really good songs on them. Some of the songs are a bit too hard rock for my liking, but I’d say the majority of the songs are really good, with the most stripped-down ones being my favourites. He also does a good version of “Walk of Life” on The Wolf album. I haven’t listened to any of his more recent stuff.
Craig
April 15, 2016 @ 9:14 am
It’s cool. It’s crowded, but it’s cool. My overriding thought while listening is that 1, Shooter has to love this. And 2, Shooter has to be insanely jealous. Because it sounds to me like the sound he’s been trying to get to for most of his career.
RD man I posted this and refreshed and there was your comment. So I agree with you 🙂
Tom
April 15, 2016 @ 9:19 am
Mixed feelings on the album, but my biggest takeaway is that I can’t understand his voice and what he’s saying. His first few albums had the same problem to some extent, but this one was especially hard to understand.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:45 am
Agreed. You really have to search down the lyrics for this one. But you can’t always expect an audience to do this for music.
JC Eldredge
April 15, 2016 @ 10:41 am
Exactly! I can never understand him! Everyone is always going on about how awesome he is and I’m like “Dude sounds like he’s singing with a mouthful of marbles to me…” .
Louis Knoebel
April 15, 2016 @ 11:31 am
While I plan to leave a longer comment later on, I will say that this was one of the reasons this album didn’t hook me the first couple listens. “Sea Stories” is one of the best (worst?) examples of this.
Convict charlie
April 15, 2016 @ 5:55 pm
I do have a little hard time deciphering his lyrics but that isn’t my biggest issue with him. Streaming it currently but my issue with him is the way he sings. I’ve listened to metamodern perhaps fifty times and I don’t think anyone can sing with the guy if asked. He goes from a 3 to an 8 back to a 4 almost instantaneously. Not that it’s a major problem I just don’t know where he’s going.
Ashton
April 15, 2016 @ 8:49 pm
It may be a Kentucky thing. I have that problem with Dwight Yoakam sometimes.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 9:23 am
Yes, the horns are somewhat uninspired and too “Blues Brothers” at times, but apart from that this album is pretty damn cool. It sounds a bit too Van Morrison at times (the later stuff. I love that grumpy fucker btw). I have had it on repeat today and 12 listens in it sure is a grower. I predict this will stand the test of time very well indeed.
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 9:28 am
“It sounds a bit too Van Morrison at times (the later stuff. I love that grumpy fucker btw).”
I know two guys who recorded and played with him back in the 60’s/70’s. They both said he is one of the biggest assholes they ever met and also one of the dumbest human beings they had ever come across.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 9:31 am
Whah. I know:) Love his voice and quite a bit of his music though.
RD
April 15, 2016 @ 9:36 am
I like some of his music, too. Their stories were noteworthy, though, because I had never heard such similar descriptions and vitriol from two people who didn’t really know each other. A lot of celebrities are jerks, but I was surprised at how incredibly dumb they regarded him to be, to the point that he couldn’t understand really simple things, or perform normal tasks.
FLYINGBURRITO2486
April 15, 2016 @ 9:25 am
Guess I’m the only one who hated the album. One listen was more than enough for me.
Fenton
April 15, 2016 @ 9:29 am
Jeezus.
All that to rate it an 8.
Yeah…the album is really good. But, Trigger, what im wondering is WHAT DID STURGILL DO TO YOU? This review is torturous. Paragraphs of butthurt complaints about horns, lyrics and other reviewers? Settle down, man.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 9:36 am
If the review annoyed you so much, stop reading and enjoy the music 🙂
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:53 am
I am Sturgill Simpson’s harshest critic. And the reason is because I know what he’s capable of. And because historically, I have been one of his greatest champions. He will have plenty of puff pieces written about this record. He doesn’t need another one from me. I feel it’s by obligation with every record I review to find the flaws and point them out, especially the records I enjoy. I think this is a healthy part of the creative process, and with someone so critically lauded as Sturgill, someone needs to offer fair and honest counterpoints.
Also appreciate that I’m getting ripped apart for not being harsh enough by others. That’s because Sturgill Simpson has officially become a polarizing artist with this record. That’s something we should all recognize.
Frijoles Negros
April 15, 2016 @ 10:59 am
Nicely put. Gonna pick up the album later today, so I can’t yet say whether I agree with your points. But I appreciated your review. The numerous commentaries you’ve penned about Sturgill evidence abiding respect for his artistry and joy in his music.
One has to remind her/his self not to simply gush over our heroes.
Aaron
April 15, 2016 @ 10:24 am
Dude, he gave the record 1 3/4 of 2 possible guns up. Maybe you are new here, but eight out of ten is an outstanding review from Trigger.
Kross
April 15, 2016 @ 9:35 am
I have no opinion about this record. I downloaded 6 out of 9 tracks. I like them well enough. 1 gun up for originality 1 gun down for lack of direction.
GregN
April 15, 2016 @ 10:17 am
Maybe the 3 tracks you didn’t get would’ve shown you the direction?
Jared S
April 15, 2016 @ 9:46 am
I’ve listened to this album twice, once in the car on the way to work, and once laying in bed in the dark with good headphones. I don’t think the songs on this album will get much play from me. But if I have a half hour, alone, with nothing to do and a decent sound system or headphones, this is an album that I will love to get lost in. I love the production on this album – there is a lot going on, but there is separation between all the sounds, it’s not a muddy mess like you get on a lot of albums. You can tell that every sound on the album is intentional, and intended to be heard.
I’m a father of a two year old, so I can definitely relate to the message. But the music gets me much more than the lyrics.
Scott S.
April 15, 2016 @ 9:50 am
The fact that you have to spend half the article explaining that country music can be more than just country sounding seems to be an excuse to say this album is ok. The album is ok, but a let down compared to the albums before it. Maybe it will grow on me, but as of right now I’m only liking a few songs.
Dragin
April 15, 2016 @ 11:18 am
I feel the same way Scott. They’re about three songs on here that I can listen to. The songs themselves may be well written and creative, but I do not like the horns. I’m not saying it’s not great music, but it’s not the kind of music I want to listen to.
I stopped buying Def Leppard and Aerosmith records when it came time to put them in the pop rock section instead of the rock section.
If Sturgill decides to make another album more like his first two I am all in, and I will still buy it for the three songs that I like and to support him, but it will not get as many spins as I had hoped.
Get rid of the Dap Kings…..just my opinion.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 2:26 pm
Scott S.,
I’ve seen a couple of folks misunderstand what I was trying to say in the first paragraphs of the review, so perhaps I didn’t articulate my opinion properly. But I am not trying to defend Sturgill’s use of non country instrumentation here. If anything, I am challenging the assertion of him and others that country music is a constricting environment for creativity. I think this is a dangerous, and incorrect mindset to have.
At the same time, that ship has sailed with Sturgill Simpson. He’s no longer a traditional country artist. But at some point you have to put all of those concerns aside and see through to the heart of the music. You can do that with Florida Georgia Line, and it still sucks. With Sturgill, I still think there’s value.
Look, I am super disappointed he did not make another traditional country record. But I also thought this record was way more country than what we were led to believe it might sound like before its release.
Scott S.
April 15, 2016 @ 11:52 pm
I wasn’t commenting on your review so much as the album itself. I heard the album yesterday, and wondered how you would find a way to write a description of it. I thought you did well. Much better than I would have done. However, that you had to preface your review with quantifiers raises some red flags. I wonder if another artist had released this album would we be looking for something to like rather than just saying this album is ok, but not that great. Sturgel seems to be trying to find his identity as Sturgel Simpson, not the next Waylon, Merle, or whomever. I have no problem with artists who want to expand upon the country sound. There is some good stuff here, but I think he came up a little short.
Derek Sullivan
April 15, 2016 @ 9:54 am
I love it when artist take chances on album and don’t just rehash the same songs, but with different titles, talking to you Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan.
I like that Eric Church recorded the Outsiders. It is his best work? No, but if I want to listen to Sinners Like Me, I’ll listen to Sinners Like Me.
I listened to the album a few times and it grows on you. I remember driving and listening to it and thinking Trig better not call this country because it isn’t. But it’s great music, innovative and I like the punch a lot of songs have.
For those that have already given it up on it, do what I did and give it a few more listens.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 10:06 am
Hell yeah.
There’s plenty of country here. I was thinking he had a Stax overdose the first few times I listened to it. Some of my favourite albums ever took effort to get into. This is not quite there :kr but it is pretty good.
Coal Train
April 15, 2016 @ 10:00 am
Could just be me over analyzing, but with this being a concept album where all songs run into each other, I thought that “Call to Arms” had a very different feel than the rest the album and that maybe this was hinting the direction he will go to next? Maybe a little more country rock/trucking type music. Like I said could be wrong but just a new observation. Overall, I enjoyed the album after a few listens. Thanks for the review!
Will
April 15, 2016 @ 11:09 am
I think if you’ve attended or heard one of Sturgill’s live shows, the origin for the style of “Call to Arms” is pretty clear – he closes most every show with a barnburning cover of “Listening to the Rain” with a little of T. Rex’s “The Motivator” phased into the middle. Personally, that song has been one of my favorite concert moments ever. If you go to PanicStream, they have a couple full concerts up that include it.
kross
April 15, 2016 @ 10:09 am
do you know how on iTunes you can sometimes listen to 1 minute samples of songs on an album. And somtimes you can actually hear 1 minute samples of every song on an album before it’s released. I’ve already given more time to Yarn’s new album that is due to be released sometime in May that is allowing me to hear parts of every song than I have this album.
karl
April 15, 2016 @ 10:12 am
Nope, not for me. He lost me after High Top Mountain. I’m just an ol’ bald guy, I don’t particularly need anything too fancy or hip or cool. And, yes I have listened to the whole album through google.
Sauron the Deceiver
April 15, 2016 @ 10:26 am
Fantastic album. Is it country? Not really. But it’s the music that Sturgill obviously wants to make, and taken simply as music, without genre limitations, it’s damn good. Great review Trigger.
albert
April 15, 2016 @ 10:29 am
Trigger . Kudos to you for investing the time you felt necessary to dissect the album sonic-ally , philosophically and otherwise . You’ve left no stone unturned , it would seem , in your effort to give this highly anticipated collection its due.
I am not , particularly , a SS fan and bring no emotional connection to , deep history with , or fan-fueled expectations of his music to my impressions . For me , this objectivity becomes THE factor in my own thoughts about SS . I’m certain this record will find its faithful , and seems to have done so already from comments I’m reading here on SCM . Anything ‘different ‘ will and does. I have heard only three tracks from the record and I’ll give it ‘ different ‘ and ‘ honest ‘ due to that difference , in Sturgill’s case at least. But once again , SS fails to resonate with me personally on any level including ,and perhaps mostly , sonically . Lyrically , if I need to read the lyric to ‘ hear’ and understand the lyric , I’ll buy a book of poetry and once again I am struggling from the first line in the first track posted above to understand what SS is saying/singing . I don’t know if he’s a good wordsmith , I don’t consider him a good vocalist , I don’t hear anything musically that REALLY interests me so for that reason I’m still a head-scratchingingly bewildered bystander where SS is concerned . I am past the point of deliberating over whether or not this is or isn’t , should or shouldn’t be considered ‘ Country ” music and , as you’ve suggested , this doesn’t really matter for the purposes of reviewing the record . It just isn’t ‘ doing it ‘ on any level for me because of the aforementioned . Saying all of this, however , I never understood the popularity of CCR initially either so I ‘m completely aware of the fact that its in large part what a listener BRINGS to a record that determines what they TAKE from it .
Aaron
April 15, 2016 @ 10:31 am
It reminds me of something Neil Young would do. And that’s a compliment. Sturgill reminds me quite a bit of Neil Young, attitude wise, in that, in their hearts, neither of them cares if you like their music or not.
Really.
I mean, they care. I bet Stu hopes everyone likes it. But he’s not going to let that hope influence the decisions he makes one single bit. He’s got a vision he has no choice but to follow. Hope you like it, if you don’t, wait for the next one and skip this tour.
If you go through the Neil Young catalog you’ll see that over and over. He follows Harvest and Rust Never Sleeps with Reactor, Trans, and Everyone’s Rockin. No one likes those records. He doesn’t care, he made what he needed to make at the time he needed to make it. I think Stu’s going to have a career like that — doing whatever he feels like, hopefully making enough money to stay off the railroad, and hopefully deep into his 70’s. I’m willing to go on that ride. I hope he does make an EDM record or a punk rock album or a freaking technical death metal record some day, and follows it with a hardcore bluegrass album.
Grady Shades
April 18, 2016 @ 3:13 am
I agree 100% with the Neil Young comparison. Spot on. I don”™t think he could be melted and poured into a mold. He has vision, he wanted this for his son and if we get it great, but if we don”™t I doubt he will miss a wink of sleep over it. I wish I had thought of the Neil comparison, I will be using it and will give you credit 60% of the time.lol
BJones
April 15, 2016 @ 10:33 am
I thought the first song was from a Broadway show.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 10:49 am
Ha. I was thinking Disney musical before it goes in a different direction.
Jimmy Row
April 15, 2016 @ 11:00 am
+1
Toby in AK
April 15, 2016 @ 10:34 am
In my opinion, the genre question is simple, this is a soul album. It has elements of country and the blues but all built on top of a soul sound.
I liked the album, it was just like Sturgill said, much better listened to as a whole. The only disappointment for me was “oh sarah”.
Stringbuzz
April 15, 2016 @ 10:51 am
I think this album is a work of art.
People’s personal tastes will dictate if they like it or now.
I personally love it.
I was apprehensive from the three recent song releases.
Everything just flows so nice on this album.
It was not what I was expecting.. I love it.
I honestly had the same feeling first time I heard it that I had the first time I listened to Sound and Color from the Alabama Shakes.
Didn’t expect it.
As I listen to it, digest it, become familiar with it, and just start understanding all the layers to it, I am pretty satisfied.
G
April 15, 2016 @ 10:58 am
This album had me within the first three words, “Hello my son”. As a father of a 6 yr old boy (and 3 yr old girl) I listened to the entire album as how my understanding of Sturgill”™s song cycle/concept album was intended. Sure, I enjoyed some songs more than others, but overall I couldn”™t help but be moved.
Will I continue to be a good father? How will I explain the struggles and challenges of becoming a man? What if he decides to join the Navy like his grandfather?
I”™ve read numerous articles and listened to a few podcasts with Sturgill as the guest, and thoroughly enjoy how his albums have progressed. Some of his interests and influences are Marvin Gaye ”“ What”™s Going On and Van Morrison – Astral Weeks, alongside his favorite country records. For anyone to hop on the Sturgill train and think he”™s was going to be the “country music savior”, without knowing who Sturgill is as an artist or person is naive or lazy on their part.
But hey, that old saying is right, “opinions are like a-holes”¦ everyone has one.”
Frank the Tank
April 15, 2016 @ 3:50 pm
As a fellow father, “Hello My Son” was really emotional for me.
Overall, I really liked this album; I think it is excellent. I think it helped going in knowing that it wasn’t going to be a country album. Although I mostly listen to traditional county music, I do enjoy other genres at times as long as the music is good, which this is. I personally quite like the horns.
Gumslasher
April 15, 2016 @ 11:13 am
Agree 100%. Apart from the asshole part, it seems some have multiple.
George
April 15, 2016 @ 11:36 am
I wish he would make an album with just him and a couple of guitars. Sometimes less is more. Not too happy about all the horns in this album. As a country music lover i dont want to listen to funky New Orleans brass and 60s soul . For a distinct following this is an excellent album. For some country fans is a turn off.
JB
April 15, 2016 @ 11:41 am
Good call on the likely reactions from non-country critics. Looks like they’re eating this album up with a spoon
http://www.metacritic.com/music/a-sailors-guide-to-earth/sturgill-simpson/critic-reviews
Applejack
April 15, 2016 @ 12:08 pm
Wow, looks like it’s currently ranked as the #1 best reviewed album of 2016 in all genres on Metacritic.
Robbie Fulks at #3, Margo Price at #5, Loretta Lynn at #10.
Stringbuzz
April 15, 2016 @ 12:09 pm
I can’t be happier for him.
Coop
April 15, 2016 @ 1:14 pm
Are those other three mentioned (Fulks, Price & Lynn) for all genres as well? If so, that’s stupendous.
Applejack
April 17, 2016 @ 8:55 am
Yep.
KathyP
April 15, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
Whatever the genre it is, or isn’t, I love this album. Based on what had been written about it prior to release, I knew not to expect a country album. Just love how it’s blues, soul, country, big band all wrapped up in one. I can’t stop playing it.
Stork
April 15, 2016 @ 12:34 pm
Picked up my blue LP pre-order a minute ago… anyone else notice “Beware the dread Pirate johnny Blue Skies” at the bottom or the liner notes? Wonder if that’s an inside joke or something cryptic.
Dana M
April 15, 2016 @ 12:47 pm
I never got on the Sturgill Simpson country music saviour train because I thought he pushed the boundaries too much. Now that we can let go of that idea and treat this as a non-country album, I have no problems counting myself as a Sturgill Simpson fan. This is a damn good record.
Mike W.
April 15, 2016 @ 12:52 pm
I would give it 6/10.
I loved the first two Sturgill albums, but this album just hasn’t done it for me yet. The Mo-Town/Soul inspired songs are probably songs I won’t listen to more than 1 or 2 times and they drag the album down a bit to be honest.
I give it 6/10 because the songs that I like, are damn, damn good. The songs that I dislike? I really dislike them.
Hopefully Sturgill gets back with Dave Cobb for his next album because as much as I can appreciate an artist expanding boundaries, sometimes it’s good to stick with what the hell you are awesome at. And Sturgill Simpson is awesome at writing, playing and singing Country songs. Covering Nirvana and writing/playing/singing soul? Nah, sorry…..not feeling it.
Will Ashby
April 15, 2016 @ 3:12 pm
If you’re looking for a traditional country album like High Top Mountain, you aren’t going to get it. He’s said before that he’s bored of making it.
Mike W.
April 15, 2016 @ 3:55 pm
Even Metamodern Sounds was more Country than this one. I admit I would like more Hightop Mountain, but I thought Metamodern Sounds hit the right balance between progressive and country. This is just a little too far out of my comfort zone, but whatever.
Big Cat
April 15, 2016 @ 5:38 pm
the joke is no one bought High Top until the flannel shirt bearded motherfuckers took to Metamodern and now High Top is everyone’s favorite. Pretty hilarious how that works. Sturgill could barely scrape $10,000 to record Metamodern but sure everyone’s favorite was High Top.
Mike W.
April 16, 2016 @ 6:21 am
Well, I bought High Top. And I am definitely not a hipster. I’m not knocking Sturgill as an artist, I think he is one of the best going right now (he’s somewhat overhyped in certain circles, but you will always have that), I just don’t see the brilliance of this album is all and don’t think it’s one of Sturgill’s strongest efforts. I don’t think it’s a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but it also doesn’t scream to me as an album that I will still listen to a few years from now. There are some really good songs on this album, but there are some duds as well.
I don’t expect Sturgill to go fully back to High Top Mountain–nor should he–continuing to mine that sound and material would eventually get boring, but I also wouldn’t mind a little more steel guitar rather than horns or a Nirvana cover. That’s just me though.
Big Cat
April 16, 2016 @ 8:25 am
Respect that. I certainly would not argue anyone’s opinion on what they like and that was not my intention here. That said it drives me a little crazy when a musician like Sturgill barely sold any High Top albums before Metamodern became so popular and in hindsight ‘fans’ say “this should be more like high top”…… I’m sure he would of appreciated that 3 years ago.
I never meant a lot of people around here didn’t dig that album in 2013 when it came out.
I met Sturgill in 2012 and have probably seen him live 15 times in various arrangements. I would not disagree with you and trigger the guy is capable of more. But this is what he chose to do. There was a lot of pressure and he delivered.
Personally I really dig it and as electric as his shows already are, I would love to see the horns in some shows this year.
Certainly respect your take.
Randy
April 15, 2016 @ 12:57 pm
I dont know why we have to question the “countriness” of this album. I reckon because this is a country music website haha but i could give a fuck how country it is this is just a badass awesome album. It’s art it truley is. I really dig it. This is what music should be.
Jim Bob
April 15, 2016 @ 10:15 pm
You’ve just earned +1 morality particles. Keep on keeping on…
Dogit
April 15, 2016 @ 1:43 pm
I would agree with Mike W. 6/10…….the album only has 9 songs and really only has 4 really good songs. No great songs. I like the album. I like the opening track, the nirvana cover, the sarah song (sunvally cover and the best overall song on the album), call to arms, and breakers roar. The rest is okay. I am okay with the horns and I like the fact he pushing the boundaries (like real artist do).
This album is art. People need to understand that. I don’t think this as bad as some of my favorite artist worst album (if that makes sense). I think it has Grammy potential. I just hope we don’t have to wait 2 years for the next album. I expect him to sorta bounce back with a more traditional country album.
AC_86
April 15, 2016 @ 2:02 pm
Great review as always Trigger!
I personally love the whole album, I think it is superb. Love the fact Sturgill said he was influenced from Elvis’ music recorded at Stax. And I love the fact that he made the album that he wanted to make. He could’ve went and made another traditional country album but he wanted to go in a different direction, he’s obviously influenced by a lot of different artists. We know he’s a big fan of Otis Redding, obviously some of that is shown in the album.”Sarah” is outstanding, truly a beautiful song. I hope Sturgill makes another traditional country album in the near future but I think whatever he puts out will be quality.
JP
April 15, 2016 @ 2:11 pm
I think this is a fair & well-considered review. I 100% agree with the observation that Sturgill has eschewed a lot of the nuance & story-telling in his lyrics in favor of blunt assertions that are less compelling.
For me, this album would be Sturgill’s third best, but still good. There are no duds that had me rolling my eyes or skipping to the next track. The style has changed since Metamodern, and that’s ok. It does feel a little affected though, like Sturgill was maybe influenced a bit by fellow Dave Cobb acolyte Anderson East.
The album will surely have a place in my rotation, but I can’t really see it going on heavy repeat like I did with Metamodern, Isbell’s Southeastern, TT’s eponymous, or Stapleton’s Traveler. There was no “holy shit” moment after listening to Sailor’s Guide like I immediately got after first listens to the above mentioned.
All in all, another interesting step forward in the journey of an interesting artist.
Don
April 15, 2016 @ 2:19 pm
Surprisingly I actually like this album. I enjoyed every song right up until the last one, which I feel did not fit. Call to Arms really feels contrived and forced. Trigger was right, the lyrics blew it here. I was really disappointed in it because I enjoyed the song Sea Stories earlier in the album, which many a Sailor and Marine can identify with. That seemed like a more realistic pass on to one’s son:the line “I’ve seen the whole world from the inside of a bar” sums up a lot of wasted opportunity for me my first ten years in the Corps. The horns actually didn’t kill this album for me like I thought they would have and I thought the Moog synthesizer at the end of Brace for impact was really cool. In Bloom makes more sense as a part of the whole album, when I first listened to it by itself prior to the albums release, I didn’t know what to make of it. I think my favorite track so far is Breakers Roar, it’s just got a great sound to it.
Bill
April 15, 2016 @ 2:26 pm
I was excited for this album, really tried to like it, but it just doesn’t grab me like High Top and Metamodern did. Too jazzy for me. I’m sure his son will appreciate it, and I assume that was Simpon’s ultimate goal anyways. Personally, I hope the pendulum swings back to country in his final 2 albums (if he indeed only records 5 in his lifetime, as he said on Rogan).
sbach66
April 15, 2016 @ 3:00 pm
Been listening all day, and one thought keeps creeping in – I’d dearly love to hear it without the horns and effects.
GregN
April 15, 2016 @ 4:08 pm
Currently sitting #1 ALL genres on iTunes.
justin casey
April 15, 2016 @ 4:29 pm
after listening to the album from start to finish personally I love it the sound is very different from high top mountain and metamodern sounds but I like that he’s trying new things sound wise yet ironically my favorite song on the album sea stories is the closest it comes to recapturing the sound of metamodern sounds as far as the horns I don’t mind them there are even a couple tracks where the horns add to the song
Big Cat
April 15, 2016 @ 5:22 pm
I give it a 10. Took huge balls to move away from Cobb and do this. Mixed and balanced beautifully. If he takes the Kings on the road houses could be burning down.
Best live music act going when he is on.
ActivePuck
April 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
I haven’t heard the album, have only listened to the samples on iTunes (which might not be fair to judge) and the ones posted by Trigger but I’m not quite feeling it. I mean musically it sounds fantastic, I dig horns, all that stuff, but it just seems kinda… I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it.
My music library has metal, pop, country/Americana, swing, classical/movie scores, rock, pretty much everything. It’s not like I’m close-minded but something isn’t clicking for me. Maybe I’m just not a huge Sturgill fan.
I’m going to give it some time, maybe listen to more tracks in full if I can and maybe I’ll change my mind. Who knows?
RedDirtCyclone
April 15, 2016 @ 6:05 pm
I love the hell out of the record. I think it is just fantastic music. I took one music class in college, spent 5th grade pretending to play the trumpet in the band. Have no sound for my own tune or pitch. So take my words for what they are, I just think it is good music. Genre be damned.
Matthew
April 15, 2016 @ 6:11 pm
My wife likes to say they best thing her father did for her was impart his widely varied taste in music. That’s what I see here: from father to son, Sturgill is passing on all that he sees as good in music. That means there’s horns, synth, songwriting, even a little Kurt Cobain, and a dose of twang. Also don’t forget the quote from one of the Ryman shows last fall: “I can”™t wait ”™til all these flannel shirt/beard motherfuckers figure out I ain”™t like them.” This album is that turning point.
Jonathan
April 15, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
I think this album is awesome. A stunning work of art. Personally, I couldn’t care less how country it is or isn’t. It’s innovative, quality music and that’s what matters most to me. I’ve only listened to it once, so maybe I’ll pick up on some of the aspects folks are criticizing, but honestly I’m just expecting to like it more and more with further listens. I really liked the horn arrangements. The only thing I didn’t care for was the sax solo on one track. I can’t remember which song it was, but the solo sounded kind of like something Kenny G would play. I’m not really a smooth jazz fan. I thought the rest of the song was great though. I’m already excited to see what direction he goes next. This album will certainly be one of my top albums of the year. I’d give it a 10/10!
Zack
April 15, 2016 @ 6:39 pm
Dang, I tried to post this before I screwed up. Let me try again.
First off, I love this record, it’ll probably be my record of the year. Is it a soul record, a country record, a psych rock record? Nah, but it’s parts of all of them and the sum is great than its parts. I love an artist who can follow their muse and challenge themselves while in turn challenging me as a listener. Someone up comment mentioned Neil Young and this reminds me of him a lot. This is a record that Sturgill obviously felt he needed to write and I’m glad I can be there for the ride.
As a father of three who isn’t the best father but is trying to be the best he can be, this hits close to home also. I’ll never write something this fucking good and honest, but I can share it with my kids to help where my words don’t quite get. It’s an amazing record from an amazing songwriter.
ShadeGrown
April 15, 2016 @ 6:40 pm
I was really thinking this could be an excellent release after hearing Brace For Impact but it doesn’t have a good flow. It’s doesn’t work for me as an album that I’ll listen to beginning to end. No real objectionable songs or music – though funk doesn’t work real well with his vocals – but not a good flow. I was also really excited for the new Book Of Shadows by Zakk Wylde and it doesn’t work as an album for me either. Just a bunch of OK to good tunes that don’t make a complete listen.
Adam
April 15, 2016 @ 6:53 pm
I was really worried as I did not like Brace for Impact very much. I think it really, really sounds like a Don Henley type song and I’m not ready for 80’s rock to be revived just yet. When I heard it I thought, “Them shoes?”
But as a big Sturgill fan I knew I had to just wait and hear the album. I liked In Bloom and now after a 6 hour drive where I listened to Sailors Guide 4 whole times I can say I really like it. To me Brace for Impact is my least favorite song and I don’t think anything else on the album resembles it. Of course I’d like another High Top and I’m sure he’ll do that someday, but I still enjoyed this album. Keep it Between the Lines and Oh Sarah are my top 2, but really I like 8 out of the 9 songs. I was afraid it would be like the Margo Price album where some songs are great and others unlistenable, but it’s very solid all the way through. Can’t wait to see him live May 16!
brettp
April 15, 2016 @ 7:19 pm
I gotta say, after a few listens i believe the album to be a solid effort. Being a father to young children, these stories of song ring all to true. Not country, but a very classic album rock vibe. A little too much funky instrumentation at first but its growing on me. I also gotta say im diggin the shout out to Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64, what a great game, never played it high however, lol.
Zach
April 15, 2016 @ 7:32 pm
Screw it, I find this album to be incredible. More of an artwork than a distinct genre. The horns actually made it fresh for me. Trig, I believe you’ve said before that once an artist has their breakout album, their either gonna piss people off by making the next album the same, or piss people off by changing it up a bit. Can’t win em all. I understand why some might not like this as much as HTM or Metamodern Sounds, but I’m enjoying it just as much. He changed it up, and this cd won’t be ejected for a long while!
The Hillbilly Muslim
April 15, 2016 @ 7:37 pm
Thanks for the indepth review trigger. Your writing and this album is sure a personal journey to me since I been following you reporting on Sturgil since Sunday Valley when I met both of yall on the same day for the first time . What I heard from the clips it reminds me of country mix with my fav of 70s rock like Chicago. It was an amazing blend to me and always back in my mind that roots musicians are rockers at heart so we will hear the influence . I can t wait now to finally submerge myself to this epic album.
PETE MARSHALL
April 15, 2016 @ 8:33 pm
I will buy this cd tomorrow!!!
Wayfast
April 15, 2016 @ 9:07 pm
If you want experimental music with cryptic lyrics, get the new Deftones record “gore”. This record does nothing for me, don’t care for the songwriting(again), don’t care for the production. HIgh top mountain had a few songs that meant something… Dude has a great country voice(though its hard to understand) but everything else is mediocre. Can’t Jason Eady and Joesph Huber be our country music saviors?
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 9:11 pm
I think both Eady and Huber will be releasing new records this year.
Jeff
April 15, 2016 @ 10:02 pm
“But A Sailor”™s Guide to Earth is not a game changer for anything or anyone except Sturgill Simpson.’
This may be true in a country music context, however, it is too soon to make that claim. Sturgill Simpson just may be the savior of music. To say that Simpson is not a country music savior is just heresy. He already saved country music with To the Wind, Hightop, and Meta. There is no one in the country music game that can touch him, as a songwriter, a performer, or a visionary. Stapleton and the likes can make 50 country records and they won’t come close to anything Sturgill puts out.
Wicket
April 15, 2016 @ 10:34 pm
All I want to know is when y’all are going to address Dave Cobb’s Dodge Ram commercial. Wtf.
Trigger
April 15, 2016 @ 11:19 pm
Dave Cobb has a Ram commercial? I remember seeing one with Chris Stapleton during the ACM Awards. You’d be blown away how much money Ram is throwing around country music at the moment.
Wicket
April 16, 2016 @ 6:26 am
Looks like Cobb isn’t ashamed to take some of that money. Weird for a producer, right? Weirder for an outsider? After seeing this shit it hard for me not to think he’s hasn’t been baptized in the corn of music row.
http://www.alsmithchryslerdodge.net/blog/index.htm
Bill #2
April 16, 2016 @ 8:27 am
So what?
Wicket
April 17, 2016 @ 1:46 am
Nothing I guess. He & Stapleton broke bro country so now he’s the one that gets to sell you Ram trucks.
Bill
April 16, 2016 @ 4:55 am
I liked his early stuff, but this is full on hipster crap at this point. Frankly Shooter Jennings is at the same point, but meh. He is at least irritating enough that I can respect it.
Jim McGuinness
April 16, 2016 @ 7:55 am
His vocals have always been a turn-off for me. As for this album, some of the experiments just don’t work. It sounds like the work of an artist whose reach exceeds his grasp.
Matt
April 16, 2016 @ 8:08 am
Maybe this has been mentioned already in the comments, but for me the true revelation of this record (which I happen to think is nearly as good as Metamodern) is that Sturgill is in love with a very particular era in Country music – namely, the late 60s/early 70s when the genre lines between country, rock, soul, and the blues blurred and people were a lot more likely to bounce back and forth across those lines. If you look back over his other two albums, that same love was there, it’s just that those records were much more traditionally country than this one. I don’t think this record is a departure for Sturgill, but rather a growth in his sound.
I think so much of the controversy is dependent on country’s insistence on purity. Why are rock fans so willing to say Radiohead’s Kid A is a rock record? Hip hop fans have no problem calling Kanye’s 808s a hip hop record. There are songs on here that would fit right in at a local country show – horns or not – and the ones that wouldn’t don’t do anything particularly novel in country’s history. As you mention, strings have been with country for decades (and of course were dominant in Sturgill’s favorite era in the adult contemporary market, an approach purists didn’t like then either but now is referred to as the good old days by many). His Muscle Shoals sound (which I totally agree is a little too trendy right now) fits in quite nicely with the era he loves.
I’m not arguing with anything in your review, really, but I think it should be really clear at this point that Sturgill should be viewed like someone like Gram Parsons – a musician whose first love is country music, but is uninterested in toeing the line.
Finally, the instrumentation purity is getting really annoying. At what point in history was country’s instrumentation decided? Before the fiddle was incorporated thanks to blues musicians? Before the slide guitar was brought over from Hawaii? What was the moment where country became country and nothing after it was allowed to evolve?
Bill #2
April 16, 2016 @ 8:26 am
I’d disagree with the Gram Parsons comparison. Daniel Romano is a bit more like Parsons than Simpson is. Parsons both mocked and paid homage to country in both his musical style and his performance. Simpson is trying to do his own thing, I wish him the best in his regard. But if you are going to be embarrassed by your roots or stretch the definition of country pretty much to the point that it is your word, you are really doing no better than current pop country or Americana, other than you are doing it well.
Matt
April 16, 2016 @ 8:34 am
That’s fair enough on the parsons comparison, but I think there is a lot more than Sturgill’s word on this record that is country. Again, I get that it’s not a straightforward country record, but I don’t think that should be the bar.
Bill #2
April 16, 2016 @ 8:51 am
I don’t have any problem with a person making genreless music or incorporating heavy country influences in your work without identifying as country. The issue I have is when the artist and their supporters are effectively speaking out of both sides of their mouth. I think a lot of that comes from embarrassment in the genre of country music. To a degree, that is not undeserved, but there is something deeper going on when people do that.
Trigger
April 16, 2016 @ 9:31 am
Part of the reason there has been some much questioning of genre around this record is because Sturgill Simpson was out there before this release talking about EDM, his love for Skrillex, and how he no longer considered himself a country artist. Then he sort of reversed course, but not toally, and this created some confusion, and certain expectations in listeners. Is this record any less country than Jason Isbell’s last record? Not really, but genre really wasn’t a discussion around Jason Isbell’s release. Why? Because he really didn’t broach it. If Sturgill had come out and said, “On my next record, yeah, I’m going to test the boundaries a little bit, I’m going to have some horns, a little old-school Moog in one or two places. But overall, it’s still a rootsy album with some country songs that folks will dig,” we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Some people think this album is an EDM album. Why? It’s not because of the music. It’s because of what Sturgill Simpson said.
And I’m not trying to troll Sturgill or anything by saying this. I know it drives him crazy when folks twist and mince his words. But this is just the reality of what I’m seeing in people’s perceptions. That’s probably one of the reason’s Sturgill doesn’t like the press or social network very much. I got this album fully expecting to have to flamethrow it for being a complete abandonment of Sturgill’s country roots. What I found was an album that is still very rootsy, and even country in spots.
Matt
April 16, 2016 @ 10:41 am
Great point about Isbell. I wonder if part of the issue too is that Isbell never made a record nearly as hardcore country as Sturgill did. It makes me wonder if a lot of the blowback is just people feeling like they’ve been tricked or rejected by someone who could have easily carried the torch, which is understandable since so few artists with Sturgill’s talent are making true country right now.
That said, I think there’s a reason his last two records are better than his solo debut: he’s better at this style than he was at straight country, because it’s more honest to who he is as a musician.
Applejack
April 17, 2016 @ 10:18 am
Matt,
People were pissed and disillusioned with Radiohead for following up OK Computer with a heavily electronic album. It’s only in retrospect that Kid A has been fully embraced as a “rock” masterpiece, and to this day there are still people who don’t care to listen to anything past OK Computer. And while I’m far from an expert on hip hop music, I’m pretty sure Kanye West’s transition from rapper to heavily Auto-tuned pop / R’n’B “singer” also received quite a bit of mockery and derision at the time.
One comparison to this album from within country music itself might be Willie Nelson’s Stardust album. I can’t prove this, as there weren’t internet comments and social media posts back then to record folks’ inane opinions (including mine), but I bet there were some country purists at the time who were miffed at their outlaw hero for recording an album consisting entirely of jazz / pop standards. Now, that record is fully embraced (and rightfully so) as a classic. I’m not disagreeing with you that there is a heavy emphasis on traditionalism within the culture of country music, possibly even to its detriment in some cases, but I think part of the reaction you are describing is simply what happens anytime an artist forges a new path, which Sturgill may well be doing, and it might be that the degree to which it will be accepted and embraced is simply a function of time.
What’s interesting is that nowadays, electronic music is arguably even bigger than rock, and apparently the melodic hip hop style innovated by Kanye West is also ubiquitous, for better or worse. It’s arguably even present in “country” music, in the form of Sam Hunt. And as Trigger stated, there is a definite trend of country and Americana artists being influenced by Motown and Stax, which seems likely to continue for the time being based on certain unreleased albums that I know will be coming down the pike in the next year or so. We’ve had country-rock for decades now; I’m beginning to wonder if “country soul” is becoming a new sub genre in and of itself. If that’s the case, I would imagine this album will be perceived as a landmark release in formalizing the movement. Not that that’s what Sturgill’s aiming for, I think he’s basically just following his own muse.
Also, surely the presence of the fiddle in country music comes from the Appalachian influence?
Matt
April 17, 2016 @ 11:24 am
These are all good points, and I think the difference in our opinion comes down to shading. I don’t think the majority of rock fans were pissed with Radiohead – look at the almost ridiculously over-the-top 10.0 from pitchfork, which at the time was even more extremely indie-slanted than it is now. People who didn’t like Kid A or what has come after that I know largely just didn’t like the direction the band went in, which is very different from rejecting the record as “not rock.” Similarly, most hip hop fans thought what Kanye was doing at the time was a little silly and trendy, though as you mentioned it has ended up being one of the most influential hip hop records of the last ten years. Again, no one thought he was betraying the genre (though as Trigger mentions a lot of that perception here is coming from the comments Sturgill made – or was assumed to have made).
The other point I’ll make is that “country soul” need not be a new genre – it’s been a thing now for as long as there has been country and soul, as both genres originated in the deep south and have origins that are so intertwined that there are only a handful of influences in each genre that don’t cross over into the other. There’s a reason Ray Charles made a country record – really, a lot of early rock could just as easily be called “country soul.” And don’t forget the “hillbilly and race” era of Billboard!
Applejack
April 17, 2016 @ 6:57 pm
Hey Matt,
I forgot I had addressed my comment to you specifically as it wore on – some of the rambling at the end wasn’t intended as a retort to anything you said, just me working my personal half-baked musical theories, ha ha. Sorry about that.
As for Radiohead, I would counter by suggesting that Pitchfork wasn’t considered the standard bearer for “rock” in the year 2000. It was a more niche, indie rock-centric website at a time when print magazines were still fairly popular. I know that Kid A was considered an overly portentous, pretentious disappointment by a lot of people, including a fair number of major music publications, especially in the UK (NME, Q, Mojo). You can still see some of the middling to negative reviews on Metacritic. Also, the folks I’m thinking of who dismissed Kid A as not being a “real” rock record were more mainstream rock and Brit-pop fans who wanted another OK Computer, or possibly even another “Creep.” But, I digress.
As for country-soul, I agree that roots of two genres go back a long way, but It seems like the two haven’t mixed much in a long while (and not to do the degree of saturation present in the current country music scene, including in the mainstream in various forms). I also don’t remember an instance of a self-identified country music artist referencing soul music in such an explicit way this early in his career, including recording with the Dap Kings and everything. Recording an album of countrified soul covers is something I could see certain country artists doing later in their career when they’re kinda running out of original material, but this is different.
It’s an interesting development. Like a lot of people here though, I can’t help but hope Sturgill re-incorporates more twang and hard country influences somewhere down the line. I just really think he excels at that sound.
PuffaloPhil
April 16, 2016 @ 8:47 am
I give this album a 4/10. Why? Simply put, it’s too self-indulgent. He should have worked with Dave Cobb instead of trying to “explore himself”. I don’t know why he’s making this turn to solipsism but if there’s anything that defines country music it is the well-defined roll of producer, songwriter, instrumental backing, and singer. Some guys and gals are triple threats. That means they sing other people’s songs, they perform instrumental leads on other people’s records, and they write songs that other people sing.
Sturgill seems mainly interested in singing his own songs, playing on his own records, producing his own records, and writing songs for himself. This takes more from the DIY ethos of Indie Rock than it does from Country Music. When Sturgill does do a cover song it tends to be from the roots of Indie… Marc Bolan and Kurt Cobain influenced more bands in Brooklyn than in Nashville, that’s for sure…
He needs to redeem himself. He needs to work with Dave Cobb and he needs to make an album that is half covers. Put a fucking Waylon or Willie song on your album! Give the people what they want. You’re a god damned entertainer and your main job is to sell beer and give us something to celebrate! Stop being so god damned gun shy on stage and actually communicate with us! I want an artful, personal song as much anyone, but for fuck’s sake, Merle Haggard, one of the best country songwriters of all time, put out entire albums of other people’s songs.
Trigger
April 16, 2016 @ 9:16 am
Though I don’t agree with everything you said, there’s a lot of wisdom in this comment PuffaloPhil.
PuffaloPhil
April 16, 2016 @ 11:33 am
Trigger, if you agreed with everything I said I’d have no reason to come and read your articles! 😀
JP
April 17, 2016 @ 7:23 pm
I agree with your point about the self production, though I liked the final product better than you.
Sturgill could have used more editing and focus when making this record. Cobb would have been able to provide a subtle guiding hand that might have made the whole thing a bit more cohesive.
I appreciate Sturgill having the huevos and confidence to see his vision through personally, though. Even with the uneven flow, it’s still a good album and will continue to spread the Gospel of Sturgill to the masses (man he would hate that metaphor lol).
Vlaanderen
April 16, 2016 @ 11:53 am
I listened this album non stop for a full day. Well it’s defenitely a Sturgill’s album, but… the 2 first tracks are at least boring, not bad, it is well crafted, but it’s not my cup of tea, Sea’s stories, In Blood and Call to Arms are my fave ones. There’s a 70’s / soul music vibe that is good, but if i would like some good tune in this mood i would grab the new Nathaniel Radcliffe album! It’s too short for the few good songs, i’m kinda disappointed and frustrated, there’s some potential, but the effort is not enough..
Kyle
April 16, 2016 @ 4:57 pm
It’s terrible. Melodies suck. Arrangements suck. It sounds like a sonic blob to me. I don’t know why why he doesn’t understand that generally, less is more. That is, the best music is that in which individual instruments can be heard. Also, I think you give sturgill too much credit as a songwriter. We’re his first albums good sonically? Yes. Were they innovative from a songwriting standpoint? For the most part no. He relies on the same chord progression for a lot of his songs on the first albums and the melodies are strikingly similar and flat. “Oh but “turtles” is so psychedelic and innovative!!!!” It is an innovative song no doubt, but it lacks the “it” factor. He really isn’t much of a songwriter. This album he is searching for something that’s not there. What ever happened to writing songs you can whistle to? I like all kinds of genres of music and am by no means a country purist. One thing I do crave though is a well written song with a well written melody.
Wayne Humbler
April 16, 2016 @ 7:14 pm
Just listen https://youtu.be/EG9gCu8gxqg This is amazing!
John
April 16, 2016 @ 10:29 pm
Is he using too much drugs? We need to be honest about this crap before he tries to rap or hip-hop!
Sturgill, we love you.. This album sucks.. Now go back to country music!
Nebraska
April 17, 2016 @ 8:32 am
Eh certain drugs are great. They can allow you to see the world from a more creative and loving viewpoint. The idea that all drugs are BAD was propagated by the Nixon administration to further marginalize minorities and keep the anti-war movement contained. Sturgill addresses this in his latest discussion with Joe Rogan.
Nebraska
April 17, 2016 @ 8:40 am
Not to mention… if you think High Top or Metamodern were written without the influence of drugs, well… I’d be interested in knowing what constitutes “too much” 😉
norrie
April 17, 2016 @ 9:24 am
I’ve really tried with this album but I just can’t get into it.I like Sea Stories,In Bloom,Brace For Impact and Call To Arms but I find the rest of it to be a bit of a drag with bland horn arrangements,syrupy strings and not enough Laur.Maybe some of the songs will sound better live.
Vlaanderen
April 17, 2016 @ 10:04 am
Man, let’s hope the next Stapleton album a.k.a the savior of country music won’t be a crappy mix between Timberlakes pop and Zac Brown’s EDM!
Nebraska
April 17, 2016 @ 2:32 pm
I’ve listened to the album four times now and just read your review. I agree with most of your points and the numerical rating.
This is a long one but here it is if anyone cares to read…
I think that the thing to remember about Sturgill is that he is a thinker and intellectual. He’s always going to want to stay one step ahead of the listeners and not give too much of his hand away. This can be a little tricky sometimes because he ends up saying/doing things that don’t quite match up with the final product intended. High Top was a relatively unknown, hidden super talent’s frustrated personal attempt to write a better country album than what he was hearing coming from the hack big names at the top of the charts. And he did it. Metamodern, however, while it succeeded at being as forward-thinking production-wise as he claimed, left me disappointed lyrically (aside from his usual witty twists of phrase, which he’ll always be able to pull off). The hype surrounding that album was that it was a country album set to lyrics about science and physics because he had been reading books of that nature. I remember thinking “A musician who knows his science? Cool!” But it ended up being mostly Buddhist or metaphysical platitudes – not so much hard science (thought he got a little too much credit in that regard). However, I grew to love the album immensely for what it is, in spite of my initial let down. A similar thing has happened with Sailor’s Guide. First of all, the lyric change on In Bloom. I think he knew exactly what the lyrics were and made an artistic attempt that backfired. When he started receiving some criticism he backtracked and said he thought those were the original lyrics. Not buying it. That being said, I strongly disliked the cover at first and now I may like his arrangement better than the original. Ha. Typical Sturgill. Secondly, the early interviews alluded to some deep, you’re-not-gonna-believe-what-you’re-hearing, never-been-done-before thing. And the critics are riding that too. But it doesn’t sound like that to me. It sounds like Sturgill making a soul record. And that’s cool but it’s not anything I haven’t heard before (other than I haven’t heard it from him). If anything, I agree that the horns sound rather uninspired and added-on for the most part. BUT I like that he did it and it’s exactly what I would expect a soul album to sound like coming from him. I’ll keep listening to it and I’m sure I’ll grow to love it even more.
I disagree with one thing you said. I think he deals with the war theme effectively and honestly (and I like to take this album as evidence of who he’s voting for;)) We are at war with those countries in the sense that some of their ideologies differ from what we claim ours are (and, yes, the oil reference does apply to a couple of them as well). I like that he’s making clear what his stance is (like he did on Joe Rogan) as a former soldier and self-proclaimed admirer of certain philosophies. We need the smart artists to remind us of what’s wrong sometimes and to make it “okay” to speak out against injustices, as engrained as they are in our country’s history. And sometimes ugly topics are best dealt with in blunt, ugly and unpoetic language.
(On a side note, I question how much he’s advising his son to “stay off” all drugs. He could mean the (very dangerous yet still socially acceptable) alcohol that he personally abstains from, or meth. “Don’t do as I’ve done” could mean any number of missteps. I’m not so sure Sturgill wouldn’t be supportive of his son trying some of the more “friendly” drugs that he’s advocated before. I’d be surprised if his stance had changed on that just because he’d become a father.)
I’ve never thought the 5-album thing would stick. That always rang to me like a statement from someone new to a sudden rush of fame who was trying to keep an air of mystery and stay slightly above it. You can tell he’s someone who has too much to prove. Not in a phony way, but like his mind is never going to let him rest. And that’s cool for us because we’ll continue to get music from a truly unique artist who isn’t perfect but at least is the real deal.
Bill
April 17, 2016 @ 2:56 pm
He’s a teetotaler?
Yeah, fuck his commie shit then. It is not entertainment, it is propaganda.
Bill
April 17, 2016 @ 3:05 pm
Correction: I guess he is an alcoholic, so I withdraw that previous comment.
Donny
April 17, 2016 @ 2:36 pm
No country, no care. Listened to a bit of every song and couldn’t stand it. I told you this guy would go down the tubes.
Hello Walls
April 17, 2016 @ 2:50 pm
The album as a whole isn’t that great in my opinion, but Sea Stories is a damn fine song.
Adam
April 17, 2016 @ 4:16 pm
I’ve listened to the album quite a few times now and while I like it, I don’t love it. Several songs are good, none great, and most are just ok. My concern isn’t as much genre, as it is that he has 3 albums and the first was his best, the second was second best, and now the third is his third best. Of course that’s my opinion. But I have to wonder if that’s because High Top was released when he was in his mid 30’s and it consisted of the best stuff he’d written in the previous 15-20 years? Maybe not, but even if you like this album, does anyone think his stuff is getting better as he goes?
Also, on Joe Rogan he listed Marvin Gaye and Van Morrison as two of his favorite artists growing up. He rarely mentions a classic country artist when asked about influences. So yeah, I can see the Marvin Gaye on this album. In fact, if you’ve listened to most of his interviews, High Top Mountain should be the album that surprises you. His personality, influences, and actions don’t really line up with High Top at all. He’s a weird dude, who knows what he’ll do next.
TheRealBobCephus
April 18, 2016 @ 5:39 pm
I think if you are coming at him like he’s a country artist, I could see how you could say that HTM was the best of the three. Me personally, every time I listen to ASGTE, I find myself more drawn in and pondering what Sturgill is saying to his son. HTM is just a bunch of songs, really good songs, but not a story. I tend to like albums that are cohesive and concept albums so this is definitely more in my wheelhouse. Again, these albums are so different, I don’t think its fair to call one better than the other.
Applejack
April 17, 2016 @ 5:30 pm
Damn, Sturgill and Stapleton are currently sitting back to back at #1 and #2 on the iTunes all genre album chart.
That’s gotta be a first, right?
Harrison
April 17, 2016 @ 7:17 pm
I’ve never been a huge sturgill fan… But I really like this album and I can’t put my finger on why. It’s interesting to me. It’s like it’s grabbing a hold of me. That’s my 2 cents
Grady Shades
April 17, 2016 @ 9:58 pm
What is amazing to me is Sturgill allows us to be part of something so very personal. This wasn’t made for the masses, but to his son. He bares his soul and shows his son who he is, and what dreams have come and what was important. Why sacrifices were worth it. Why he doesn’t fit a mold, and why he doesn’t have to either. I love Sturgills fearlessness. I’m thankful for every note of music he has put out. This album wasn’t made for us, he chose to share it with us. I don’t want him to remake any album I don’t think there will be many albums. He doesn’t owe me a country song or album. I trust him to put out what he feels and is passionate about. I always come to this thought. If Stevie Ray asked us, I’m thinking bout doing Mary Had A Little Lamb you think that’s a good idea? I for one would have said he’s lost his mind. I can’t give Sturgill advice on what he does or doesn’t do. I think he is someone very special and I’m glad for every song.
Big Cat
April 18, 2016 @ 7:21 am
I think that is beautifully said. This site shouldn’t be about arguing what music is good or bad. Everyone is going to have their own opinion. Trigger could review the White Album or Elvis and there will be people who hate it.
But to your point, I’m not sure there are many artists who name their grandfather in each of their first three albums. Sturgill is just way beyond caring what people think of his music; he is going to do it his way and he doesn’t care if you like it or not.
Regardless if it is Led Zeppelin on the party side; or on the far other side is someone like Isbell when I am relaxing…. VERY few artists have figured out how to successfully master both those ends of music. For me, Sturgill is one of those artists. He can jam with the best and he can ballad with the best.
I can spin Stapleton if I want to hear about whiskey drinking or leaving his fishing pole at home. I like Stapleton; not my point. Sturgill is singing about his life and to me, I relate. I think this is why Nirvana to this day is so popular. It wasn’t just the musical change, but a band that quit singing about nothing (hair metal) and said “hey kids, real life is out here and we know you are dealing with it”.
I am glad folks like you are willing to voice what Sturgill is really about. I think if people take time to listen to the lyrics, his hypnotic voice and most of all the time to go see him live, they will start to understand what this guy is all about. Just great music and most importantly singing about real life.
Dallas Micolichek
April 18, 2016 @ 2:26 am
This album is pretty solid. I have been listening to a lot of jazz as of late while I am doing homework, so it was pretty neat to hear a lot of horns come from him. Call to arms is my favorite song on the album. I do like the sunday valley version of oh sarah better though. In bloom keeps getting stuck in my head.
Grady Shades
April 18, 2016 @ 3:08 am
I agree 100% with the Neil Young comparison. Spot on. I don’t think he could melted and poured into a mold. He has vision, he wanted this for his son and if we get it great, but if we don’t I doubt he will miss a wink of sleep over it. I wish I had thought of the Neil comparison, I will be using it and will give you credit 60% of the time.lol
Jack Williams
April 18, 2016 @ 7:54 am
I have listened to the album four times this weekend and will say that I’m still on board. For me, it’s at the least a very good album and 1.75 guns seems about right at this point in time (1.5 after the first listen, 1.75 after the second). I would say that MMSICM is still my favorite and don’t know that I would even bother comparing it to HTM (Yes, I bought it when it came out. Pre-ordered it, actually), as it would be an apples and oranges comparison. And hey, even if I did think ASGTE was my least favorite to date, that would be somewhat analogous to my feelings about Led Zeppelin III, which I would rank as my least favorite of their first three. Still a great album, though.
I’d say I identify myself as more of a roots music fan, but one who loves hard country music much more than the average “Americana” fan. So maybe I was slightly disappointed on the first listen on how there wasn’t all that music of a country music feel to this album, but then again, I kind of knew that was coming. Still, this album is enough in my roots music wheelhouse and I also appreciate that this is a sonically challenging album. I’ve been in a bit of acoustic/rootsy musical rut lately.
Taxes
April 18, 2016 @ 9:14 am
Press hype aside, this is a brilliant album. I think Metamodern is a better album, and High Top Mountain is too apples-to-oranges to make a good comparison, but I am seriously impressed with what he created here and how close to he got to the greatness of Metamodern. 1.75 out of 2 feels like the right rating to me. I can understand a country fan being disappointed (if country music is all you’re into), but there’s a lot on this album that takes multiple listens to appreciate. I was a little disappointed on first listen myself, but have grown to love this record — both the individual songs and how it holds together as a whole.
Horns and soul music may be “trendy,” but I don’t see any evidence that Sturgill is chasing trends (not that Trigger said he did). Sturgill is making music based on his genuine influences, and this album happens to have some of the best and most authentic use of Memphis soul style horns and grooves in a LONG time. This in itself shows that Sturgill is extremely well schooled in the genre. Try to appreciate this before you dismiss the horns as extraneous and a “sonic blob.”
I agree that some of the lyrics lack subtlety and nuance, but I think Sturgill is doing this with intention and most of the time it works in the context of the record (especially in the first track, where he’s speaking directly to his newborn son). There is enough poetry on the record that is on par with his past work to make clear that Sturgill knows how to write a clever lyric when he wants to.
T
April 18, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
I understand your review site is savingcountrymusic, but I am hoping you understand, Sturgill isn’t trying to be a country artist. Not that I know of at least. He just happens to do country very well. It’s also my understanding, this album was written for his son with hopes to have an archive to listen to as he gets older and understand a little (or a lot) about his dad. Suffice to say, the album wasn’t written for me or you, or to be country. All of those who try and wrangle him into the Outlaw Country sub genre, or any other, should probably look elsewhere for that kind of thing.
KGD
April 18, 2016 @ 6:45 pm
I listened to High Top Mountain yesterday and just about fell over at the first three lines.
Could have summed up several of the comments in this review.
“Well that (High Top Mountain fan) said son now can you sing a little bit more clear
Your voice might be too genuine and your song’s a little too sincere
Can you sing a little more about outlaws and the way things used to be…
Jason
April 18, 2016 @ 7:48 pm
This is a very good, detailed review, well done. I haven’t read every single comment, (apologies if I’m just repeating what others have said) but one of my issues with this album that I haven’t seen mentioned is that some of the tracks sound a lot like Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings…. Except I prefer her vocal stylings with that style of music over Sturgill’s. Obviously having those same players is a big part of that, but it’s the arrangements and the way they are recorded that kinda gets me…. His work with Dave Cobb has a unique sonic signature, I can recognize both of those albums instantly even before he starts singing, I don’t really get that from this one. However it is still very good music… Just not my favorite Sturgill.
The Original WTF Guy
April 19, 2016 @ 7:25 am
I don’t know if it is country or isn’t country, what I do know is that it’s good. I’ll agree that at times the horns are a bit superfluous, but all in all, I really love it. Brace For Impact is a great song, although I have to admit it has a bit of Noel Gallagher’s “In the Heat of the Moment” in it from a melodic perspective. I heard it the first time through but it took a few listens before I was able to nail it. But I love Noel Gallagher, so no problem.
I will say I find it ironic that Trigger goes out of his way to talk about the “big tent” nature of country music but is then critical in the review and his comments that this isn’t a country record. Tell me what being played on “country” radio is country music? Carrie Underwood? The Band Perry? So Sturgill isn’t country? On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is George Jones/Hank Sr/Jimmie Rodgers/et and 1 is those candy asses from Florida Georgia Line, where is Sturgill? He’s at least a 7 and that places him a couple of spots above almost anyone else currently playing at being country. You think it’s bad now, wait until Timberlake puts his album out.
Punx
April 19, 2016 @ 9:51 am
Simply said, I like it.
As Triggerman said, this isn’t so much a country album as what Mr. Simpson wanted to make. Casting aside preconcieved notions of what country music is ‘supposed’ to be, as Trigger did through the opening of this review, and taking it on as a musical adventure, I really like it.
I admit I am a Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings fan, so I found the horns attractive rather than disrupting. As Trigger said, this is going to be a divisive release for most, and I stake my claim on the side of liking it.
Anyways, Enjoy
April 20, 2016 @ 10:26 am
Thanks for the nuanced review. It does seem the non-country outlets are devolving to puff pieces, but I suppose I’d prefer that over them ignoring artists like this completely. Honestly, country is maybe my 4th or 5th most listened to genre (but trending up!) yet this is basically one of the only sites on the web whose viewpoints I actually trust and look forward to reading.
All that said, as someone from a decidedly non-country background and who’s been watching the muscle shoals sound trend up for the past half-decade plus, I think Sturgill does it better than almost anyone on this album. There are some really great riffs written for the horn section, and they give the up-tempo numbers an infectiousness that has probably been my main hook to keep coming back to this record. Maybe helps that I’ve been a huge fan of everything daptone related for years now though. I’ll need some time parsing the whole thing, but I think this is a damn good record.
And all THAT said, this is probably the first album I’ve ever wished was MORE country. So perhaps my gradual foray into country music fandom is finally taking hold.