Hayes Carll
Trouble In Mind
Lost Highway Records
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also available on amazon
Hayes Carll’s third album reflects the wild changes of weather to the east of Houston, Texas; calm and balmy at times and suddenly a wild rip the sails off squall will whip up and blow it all away, but most of all he is a story teller/songwriter that has an eye and an ear for the details that will set the song square. He carries forward that tradition established in Texas by the singer/songwriter with names such as Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver and Ray Wylie Hubbard, to name but a few and the list is so great there is not room here for all the names. These are writers who establish the story as the vehicle that drives the song, that make the story the focus of the song. Carll’s sense of humor, slightly self depreciating, but never selling himself as the fool, is honed sharp with that special detail that points out the odd little details that only come from someone with a quirky and sharp sense of what makes it real, the stuff that can’t be made up.
With the stellar cast of backing musicians that he has helping to establish the musical part of the song it is hard to imagine a dud floating from these recording sessions. Carll contributes not only the songs and lead vocals but some acoustic guitar and baritone acoustic guitar: and then some of those that add their talents are Darrell Scott, Al Perkins, Will Kimbrough, and Fats Kaplan. He wrote most of the songs, a few of them have co writers, and then there is one penned by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, and one by Scott Nolan. The wit and sharp attention to detail make this a wonderful disc on many levels. Don’t let this insightful, delightful disc slip by you. This is a songwriter who has something to say and a gentle humorous way of saying it.