What a delightful way to start the New Year! An Anglo-American
album full of subtle hybrid strands of Americana music served up in a simple
yet captivating style. An exiled Okie who defied the ‘go west’ call and settled
in the eastern counties of southern England instead, Bob Collum returns to
themes from his homeland for this superlative release. LITTLE ROCK may be the
capital of the state neighbouring his beloved Oklahoma but it lends its name to
the title of this 10-track album and the opening number which steers the record in a semi alt-country rock direction. However the true spiritual sound of the
album centres round the gorgeous pedal steel courtesy of Allan Kelly.
Any further micro analysis of this record cannot go past a
country duet of magnificent magnitude. Bob has worked with Marianne Hyatt on
previous releases and together they have produced an ear catching number
sparking marital chords around the land. ‘Good
Thing We’re In Love’ is the only co-write on the record and rattles along
in biting and cutting disunity, though forever thankful of the sanctity of the
title. Positioning itself alongside the lofty perch of My Darling Clementine
duets, this stand out song possess easily the best lyric for this and many a
year ‘I do the jumping when you holler frog’. Another MDC link is the addition
of Martin Belmont to the lengthy list of players joining the core of Bob’s
band, wonderfully named The Welfare Mothers.
As indicated earlier, LITTLE ROCK develops its themes a long
way from Essex, but the whole album is underpinned by that sound synonymous
with London’s alt-country scene which from a personal viewpoint rarely seems to
venture north. However the themes are generally solid American standards such
as the Confederate flag in ‘Johnny Held ‘Em
Down’ and the scarred backdrop of society in ‘Wasted Wonderland’. The sound ventures into folk territory with the
telling of a true murder story ‘Locust
Grove’, a topic that genre does rather effectively both sides of the
Atlantic.
Queuing up behind the delightful duet in the leading track
stakes are the strikingly impressive ‘Seven
Kinds of Sorrow’ and the anthemic ‘Broken
Down’. Either track would stand tall on more mortal albums and deserve
wider platforms to be heard. Packed with pedal steel solos, rhythmic strumming
and outbreaks of harmonica, the latter will have you humming long after the
eject button has been reluctantly pressed. ‘Seven
Kinds of Sorrow’ opens in stunning a Capella mode and once again demands
intense lyrical recital after the exquisite organ kicks in, melting into the
other fine examples of roots instrumentation.
Bob, who has clocked a few miles on the indie scene both
sides of the Atlantic, has shared the stage with many respected US artists such
as Dave Alvin, Alejandro Escovedo and Robert Earle Keen, all highly valued in
the UK as well. Presently Bob is tied up with Harbour Song Records and it would
be great if the album got promoted live around the country. Obviously integral
to this would be Marianne who wrote and performed the track ‘Superdome’, a number wrapped in
alt-indie sensibilities and is believed to be based on the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina in New Orleans. The only crime the last two songs, ‘The Great Unknown’ and ‘Empty Hands of Love’, commit is to be
worthy runners up to the meatier efforts of LITTLE ROCK and both keep the album
on track as it steers through the wide open spaces of the Americana landscape.
Making a New Year resolution to check out the work of Bob
Collum and the Welfare Mothers is one of your easier January commitments and
will definitely be a rewarding one. LITTLE ROCK is an album which won’t
disappoint and that duet has got to be the final parting shot. Make sure by
hook or by crook you check out ‘Good
Thing We’re In Love’.
www.bobcollum.com
www.bobcollum.com
