When I saw a review for Cliff Westfall’s Baby You Win on Saving Country Music, I knew I had to check this album out. In the review, the overall sound of this album was discussed, and I listened to one of the songs Trigger left for the readers to hear. It was fast, the sound was straight out of the 50s and 60s, and I was sold.
That song was the opening track, “It Hurt Her to Hurt Me”. With the faster tempo and overall production, I was immediately hooked. In my opinion, it’s got some of the best sounds of 50s and 60s country, but it’s not in a way that indicates copying or a gimmick. It’s simply Cliff Westfall’s style. The whole album just has this old-fashioned feel, and it’s brilliant. I love the varied tempos that are present here, too. Most, like “Hurt Her to Hurt Me”, are actually faster, and personally, I’m all for a faster album.
As varied as the tempos are, the overall theme of the album is love. Almost every song on the album discusses relationships, either the good or bad parts. The aforementioned “It Hurt Her to Hurt Me” is a song about a man whose partner has walked out on him after one too many instances of his wrongdoing. Still, he thinks it hurt her to hurt him. It’s hilarious, catchy, and a song I keep returning to. My favorite song off of this record is “The Man I Used to Be”. It’s a more upbeat song about the downfall of a relationship, all because the man isn’t meeting the higher standards he’d set for himself during the earlier days of their marriage. His wife isn’t looking for another man, she’s just wishing he was more like the man she married.
I won’t go into a track-by-track analysis about this album, simply because they really are mostly about the ups and downs of love. The only exception is “End of the Line”. It’s a fun song about someone who’s a bit too wild for his own good. I have to say,I do love how Cliff Westfall makes so many of these faster songs go more in-depth lyrically.
My least favorite has to be “Lie If You Must”. It just doesn’t really do anything for me. I could honestly do without this song. I just find it forgettable.
Still, this album is one you should check out if you’re into the 50s and 60s eras in country music. There’s sadness, happiness, and just some of the best production I’ve heard in a while. I love the instrumentation, too. This album cannot be classified as anything other than true traditional country. There’s something on this album for everyone, especially given the large focus on relationship-tnemed songs, and everyone knows that love is relatable. As this is Cliff Westfall’s debut album, I am excited to see what he does next.
I’ve been a fan of Cody Jinks ever since I bought his last two albums. His style of country music, as well as his vocal delivery, really appeals to me. Therefore, when I heard that he was releasing a new album, and his first on Rounder Records, I was excited to hear it. Now that I have, I can safely say that he’s still making some of the best country music today.
The songs on this album have various themes. The track I like the most, though, is the cover of “Stranger”. It’s all about how he doesn’t recognize the man in the mirror. He’s getting older, but it doesn’t fit with the way he sees himself. I just really like this kind of reflective song. My second favorite is the title track, “Lifers”. It’s all about the struggles of the working man. No matter how hard things get, he keeps on going. It reminds me of people I know who do the same, and i think this kind of song is something we should hear more often.
“Colorado” is a slower love song that I liked upon first hearing it. The melody is one that’s stuck in my head, and in the song, he’s saying that he hopes the woman he used to be with doesn’t believe that he never thinks about her or Colorado, because that’s simply not true. I also really enjoyed the fun and upbeat “Big Last Name”, which is all about a woman marrying someone with a big last name and lots of money just to keep the privileges she’s grown up with all of her life. “Must Be the Whiskey” is a song I like for its melody as well as the catchy chorus. The man in the song is tormented by a past love, and he’s trying to remember and drinking to forget. “Desert Wind” is interesting both lyrically and instrumentally. The tempo is somewhere in the middle, and the melody is darker. It’s the story of a man on a journey to Mexico, who ultimately didn’t find what he was searching for and came back home. It stood out to me because of its uniqueness.
The rest of the songs are likable, not bad, though not ones that stood out quite as much. My least favorite is probably “Head Case”, just because it hasn’t really stuck with me at all. I also find “Holy Water”, the opening track, a bit forgettable, though the song’s instrumentation is definitely fun.
The thing I really appreciate about this album is that all of the songs aren’t the same thematically. There’s songs about life’s struggles, leaving a relationship, remembering past love, and even one about making an unfortunate trip to Mexico. Along with that, I love how the tempos and instrumentation are varied. I can definitely say that you never get bored while listening to this album. The steel guitar is awesome, and there was even some piano, which I think is a very under-used instrument in country music. This is definitely one of the liveliest albums I’ve heard this year, in terms of musicianship.
Overall, Lifers is another solid addition to the discography of Cody Jinks. It’s fun, thought-provoking, and full of country instrumentation. While it doesn’t reach the great heights of Adobe Sessions or I’m Not the Devil, that’s okay. It doesn’t have to. As long as Cody Jinks keeps making consistent country music like this, I’ll keep on listening.
This is one of the most fun collaborations we’ve ever gotten to do because we were able to discover a new artist together and fall in love with her music right from the start.
Conversation
Megan: So this is cool, we’ve got a debut record from a 17-year-old songwriter from Kentucky. Lots of cool songwriters coming out of Appalachia these days, so you definitely have to check something like this out. And it’s great when we get to talk about debuts, because it’s not only about that album, but also a brand-new artist to love. So what jumps out to you about Rhyan Sinclair herself? Why should people check her out?
Brianna: Well, she’s got a very distinctive sound. Rhyan Sinclair reminds me of Miranda Lambert vocally. More than that, though, she is a very good writer. You definitely can’t tell she’s so young by these lyrics. They make her seem a lot older, and these songs are very real because of that. You feel many different emotions in this album, that’s for sure.
Megan: The voice hit me too. The tone is sort of similar to Ashley Monroe and to Clare Bowen who played Scarlett on Nashville, but you’re right, the other night when you said Miranda, it hit me. I can definitely hear that in her accent and her phrasing. Like early Miranda, from Kerosene and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. To that end, we both found some vocal imperfection in it. You forgive that because she’s 17, and she’ll certainly have time to develop.
As far as the writing, yes, she definitely impresses me. Some of those lines are just outstanding. I agree about the variety in emotions and tempos, although I tend to prefer her slower songs. I do think it’s cool that with such a soft voice, she still does the up-tempo stuff and does it well.
Brianna: What I found most refreshing about the varied tempos on this album is how, for the most part, there’s a slower song and then a faster one. It keeps things from dragging. I like her faster songs quite a bit better, but it’s true that a lot of the slower songs are quite deep and emotional. In short, I think she’s good at whatever tempo she chooses.
I do agree that there are some vocal imperfections, but I’m really excited to see where she goes from here. Once I got past all of that, I really got into this album.
Megan: Based on that, it sounds like our highlights will probably be different. So what were some of yours?
Brianna: I think my favorite song was “The Hourglass.” I loved how the lyrics tell of making the most of the time you have, and yet that time still flies by. It’s life. I don’t think it gets more real than that. I really liked “Barnstormer,” too. Sure, the theme of being a wanderer has been done before, but I like this song because she talks about the ways people see someone like her. I also really liked “The Sad Song.” She says she’s writing it because that’s the only way she can really get her feelings out. That’s got to be true for many songwriters, I’m sure. “Retrograde” is really good too, because she’s tired of being under the weather, as she says. Skeleton Sam” was a really good example of a fast song about a darker topic, I thought. In this case, the subject of the lyrics was a ghost. It’s not often that a singer can sing about something dark at such a fast tempo and make it work, but Rhyan Sinclair does. Finally, I quite liked “I Can’t Sleep.” Again, not being able to sleep do to having things on our minds is something most, if not all, of us have had to deal with at some point.
What were the highlights of this album for you?
Megan: “I Can’t Sleep” was easily my favorite. There’s something so beautiful about the melody of that song that really goes with the lyrics and makes something special. I also liked “Kentucky Night Sky,” and it went well in the track placement after “I Can’t Sleep.” “Selfishly, Heartlessly” was a really nice breakup song; I love that line: “you’re selfishly, heartlessly doing just fine,” something we can all relate to, that we wish the other person was hurting as much as we were. “Barnstormer” and “Free at Last” were my two favorites in the faster category, but mostly, I liked the slow stuff. And I love the way she hits high notes almost out of nowhere. We talked about the vocal imperfections, but the way she can just soar to all these beautiful high notes, even singing them softly as opposed to belting them out, is just effortless and makes those songs and those moments better to me.
Brianna: I do agree with you about that line in “Selfishly, Heartlessly.” She’s got a way of making you feel empathetic, and like the experiences talked about in these songs are ones you can relate to. And as for her vocal ability, I have to agree that she does a great job with those high notes. She’s very subtle about them, and that makes them all the more impacting.
Megan: Yep, you’re right. So I think this is a really strong debut, but I do think it could have been better. I’d have like to have seen it trimmed from 14 songs to 12, and then more time could have been spent to polish it up. Like we said, there’s vocal imperfections and things, and she’ll definitely have lots of time to develop, but it does feel like it could have been a little tighter. We’d probably disagree about what songs to trim because “Retrograde” was actually one of my least favorites, but I just think it would have been better a little shorter and handled with a bit more care.
Brianna: I agree. If a couple songs had been trimmed, I do think the whole album would have been more solid. This, along with some vocal imperfections and a few times where I found the production a little weak, are my complaints about this project. Still, the writing is just too good overall, the tempos keep this from being boring, and Rhyan Sinclair has some very well-done singing moments on here. I’m rating it a very solid 7.
Megan: I’m really excited about this artist. I always love finding something new and fresh and cool to talk about, and Rhyan Sinclair is the kind of artist that makes this outlet fun. I love her voice, the tone and especially all those lovely high notes–we don’t have enough country women nailing notes in the stratosphere like that, that’s very impressive. Her potential as a writer is there in spades as well. I do think the album feels a bit too long and a little rushed in the production aspect; they could have taken some more time here to really polish up some of these songs. But what a great debut record, and Rhyan Sinclair should definitely be on your radar. 7.5 from me.
Brianna: I completely agree, we need more artists with this kind of vocal range. I’m excited to see where Rhyan Sinclair takes her music next. If you’re looking for a new traditional female country artist, look no further than Rhyan Sinclair and Barnstormer.
If you’re looking for someone new to follow in the traditional country scene, meet Randall King. This self-titled debut album really fulfills any fan of the genre’s requirements. It features plenty of steel guitar, nicely varied tempos, and his voice is quite good. I just knew I was going to like this album once I heard his Southern drawl and the upbeat tempo of the first track, “Freightline”.
It’s no surprise, then, that “Freightline” is one of my favorites off of the whole album. It’s a song all about how the main character, a trucker, simply wants to get back home to his partner. She’s waiting for him, the least the trucking line could do is work faster. I just found this song a breath of fresh air, and it makes for a solid album opener. Another of my favorites off of the album is the slower “Mirror, Mirror”. It’s more introspective, with the character in the song looking into a mirror. It’s reflecting him, the biggest fool, who’s somehow managed to lose the woman he loved. Randall King’s voice really sells this song, and you get to see just how vocally talented he is. The steel guitar is amazing on this track, but since this is true for most of this album, I’ll try not to elaborate on it too much.
While we’re on the subject of songs wherein the main character isn’t perfect, there’s “Cool Under Pressure”. While it’s more upbeat, the character is saying how he has to hide his nerves around a girl he likes. I didn’t like it at first, because it seemed to me that he wasn’t being himself. When I really thought about it, though, I found the song a breath of fresh air. The man is admitting that he’s not smooth and that he doesn’t actually have the girl yet. I liked that a lot.
My absolute favorite song on the album is “When He Knows Me”. It’s about a truck driver who is losing his memory, told from the perspective of a friend or relative. It’s an incredibly sad song, wherein Randall King describes how some days the man remembers, and some days he doesn’t. The line that really gets me here is “those precious moments are getting fewer and farther between, when he knows me”. There’s also the verse where the narrator describes how he’s been mixed up with a field hand, a foe, and a friend. It really is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard all year. If you listen to anything off of this album, make it this.
While I’ve highlighted my favorites, the rest of the album is nicely varied between happy and sad, fast and slow. There isn’t really one song I hate. If I had to pick my least favorite song here, I think it’d have to be “Tuggin’ On My Heartstrings”. Which is sad, because I love it instrumentally. It’s fun, upbeat, with awesome fiddle and steel. The lyrics, though, is where I take issue. It’s about a man who’s in love with a woman, and that woman is changing literally everything about his life, from his friends to what he watches on TV. I just think that’s stereotypical and wrong. That said, I can’t help liking the melody, tempo, and everything musical about this song.
Overall, this album is solid. Not every song is a standout, but Randall King has a really good voice. He’s definitely got the talent to pull off the variety found here. With songs like “When He Knows Me”, and “Mirror Mirror On The Wall”, I’d say he’s one to watch. The fact that the whole album wasn’t slow and sad just makes it that much better, and I definitely recommend checking this out.
Joshua Hedly’s debut album Mr. Jukebox is one that was an interesting listen for us both. It’s very cool that it’s so traditional, but it leads to a lot of the same authenticity debates that have been plaguing country, and whether something has to be completely traditional-sounding to be considered “real country.” It brought up some interesting discussion points, particularly as we both liked the album less with more listens.
Conversation
Megan: So let’s talk about the parts of this album we did enjoy, because it was kind of a strange experience for us both over the course of listening to it. I know a big draw obviously for you would be the sound.
Brianna: Oh yes, the sound played a big part in my feelings toward this album. Right away, it was easy to see that this would be very traditional. I loved the piano, fiddle, and steel guitar used throughout. It all really goes back to the 50s and 60s, and the sounds that were popular then.
Megan: It goes back to that in such a way that I can’t help but be impressed by it. Even down to his inflections and phrasing, it sounds classic. I wasn’t a huge fan of his voice like I know you were, but he definitely is convincing at the style.
Brianna: I agree about it being really convincing, as far as the musical tone. As for his voice, you’re right. I was really impressed at his talent. He’s just a singer who I really appreciate, and for me, when I can find someone who is working within the field of traditional country, and also has singing talent, I’m a happy camper.
Megan: I mean, I wasn’t moved either way by his voice. Not especially great or especially bad, at least for me. For me, it was the songwriting I initially liked. I shouldn’t say initially, I still do like a lot of these songs on paper. The first time I listened to this, it didn’t blow me away, but I thought it was solid. Was it like that for you? You probably actually liked it better than me at first.
Brianna: Oh yeah, at first, I was ready to be blown away. Hearing him sing on “Counting All My Tears”, I just knew it was going to be great. So, when I was first listening to this, I sort of liked it more. But the more I listened to the album, the weaker it became. Yes, I still like it, but now? Not as much. I’d say for me, about four of these songs really stand out completely.
Megan: Which songs? And what made it weaker? I know it got weaker for both of us, but I think we’ve got somewhat different reasons for that.
Brianna: I love “Counting All My Tears” for its slower tempo, as well as the way his voice just fits with the song. It’s really the only one of the slower songs I believe in. I could really be convinced that he’s really sad about his past relationship not working out. “These Walls” is one I like, just because he’s saying that the walls could tell a story about a relationship gone wrong. I love the upbeat “Let Them Talk”, just because the narrator doesn’t care about what others say, he’s happy with the woman he’s found. My favorite is the title track, though. “Mr. Jukebox” is awesome, as it’s from the perspective of the jukebox, telling stories about all the people around it.
What made it weaker was the fact that I honestly started finding the other songs sleepy or uninteresting. A lot of them are slower, but just because a song is slow doesn’t mean it has to be sleepy. Plus, a lot of these songs are about pain or trying to fix a relationship, and bored is the last thing I should feel. What about you? What are your standouts, and what brought this album down for you?
Megan: Slow songs don’t have to be sleepy is a great point. Jason Eady is the poster child of this quote. Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly that “Mr. Jukebox” is the best. It was the lead-off song and had me really excited for this. He’s best doing this sort of upbeat, shuffling traditional thing. Also agree on “Let Them Talk.” As for the slower songs, I enjoy the lyrics of “Weird Thought Thinker” quite a bit. I think I’d like this more in another singer’s hands. “Counting All My Tears” I’d agree on as well, I think he does sound more convincing in that one.
Which leads me to my biggest issue. It’s so caught up in trying to be traditional that it just feels like he’s doing a style. As we’ve pointed out, he’s doing it flawlessly, but I really don’t feel like I know much about Joshua Hedley after this other than that he really likes and respects traditional country. There’s nothing wrong with recreating this style, that’s what Zephaniah Ohora did last year on an album we both love. You loved Zephaniah long before me, so you’re probably a better authority on this, but I believe him when he sings. Not every word and phrase and chorus is throwback just for the sake of it.
Brianna: Oh yes. I believe what Zephaniah sings. I don’t, however, believe everything Joshua sings. I’m just not convinced he felt the emotion in the songs, and if the artist is lukewarm on a subject, it will likely rub off on the listener. Or, at least, to my way of thinking. For all I know, he isn’t lukewarm on the topics; it’s just how it comes across to me. Like he’s just going through the motions.
Megan: Do you think it’s a problem with how traditional and not contemporary he’s trying to be, or just more of a problem of him not really finding his sound as an artist? I guess what I mean is, do you think if he develops his songwriting and gives us more originality, he can release a 2nd album with this throwback sound and have it work in this day and age?
Brianna Well, if he released an album with more originality, but with the same kind of sound? I’d be all over it. Lol. Honestly, though, I think it might be both that he felt like he had to use the style he did, and that he is still trying to find his sound. I think he has a lot of potential, and I am interested to see what he comes up with next, I just hope that he doesn’t limit himself as he did on Mr. Jukebox.
Megan: Honestly, I don’t know. I thought at first it was just because of how identical he was trying to be to this style, but Colter Wall sings lines like “drew myself up” and “I made for the creek,” and for me, his music comes off timeless rather than dated. Same with Zephaniah Ohora, although his songwriting is more modern. This feels dated somehow. I wanted to like this more than I do, and I agree that he’s got a ton of potential. The opportunities he’s already had by releasing an album like this in 2018 on Third Man Records are encouraging. I guess I like him and the idea of it all more than the album, lol.
Brianna: I’m not a Colter fan, but I do like that sort of older language. It makes things feel more authentic. That’s always great.
But I agree, I like the idea of this more than the actual album, and that’s disappointing, as a traditional country fan.
Megan: It’s also disappointing because there’s not really one moment I don’t like here, except the awkward cover of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” But other than that, there’s nothing really awful about any of it individually, it’s just an overarching problem.
Overall, I am impressed by the sound and the production and the songwriting. I think Hedley has a lot of potential, and I’m glad to see an album like this get made in 2018. It’s still a positive thing as a whole and has some standout songs, but it lacks identity. I want to hear more Joshua Hedley next time to build on this very cool foundation. Solid 6 from me, I think.
Brianna: That’s a great point that should be made, that nothing is awful about this album. Like you, my only real awkward moment is “When You Wish Upon A Star”, but that’s both because it’s a cover, and also due to the jazz atmosphere of it. Like you, I’d love to hear more of himself on his next album, but I’m also encouraged at seeing something so blatantly traditional be pushed so much this year. I’d like to go with a 7, but I believe a more accurate rating for this would be 6.5, simply due to the fact that I don’t love over half of the album. Still, this is something I recommend any traditional country fan should check out. It’s very possible you all may have different opinions than Megan and myself.
