Ryan Bingham received most acclaim for the track ‘The Weary Kind’ written for the motion
picture Crazy Heart which interspersed his four previous albums, getting the
nod at both the Grammys and the Oscars. There is so much of this inspirational
style across the new record probably peaking in the superbly constructed ‘Snow Falls in June’, a wondrous
metaphorical effort showcasing the fertile song writing of Bingham. In fact all
twelve tracks are self-penned originals and benefitted from that songwriter’s
solace of solitude while they go about extracting every sinew of creatively mined
substance. The brace of songs selected to open this 52 minute serving of indulgence
are indicative of the album’s content and take you right to the heart of Bingham’s
craft. ‘Broken Heart Tattoo’, an
harmonica laden chat to an unborn child has been the chosen track to promote
the album but its sequential predecessor ‘Nobody
Knows My Trouble’ takes you straight to the core of where Bingham uses song
to bare his soul.
You get visions of a barren land through the landscape of
the songs and though they can be perceived as dry, the vocals are far from arid.
This project sees Bingham in total control and in the safe producing hands of
Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco).The assumed autobiographical similes are in full
flow by the time we get to ‘Top Shelf
Drug’ and you sense the frustration in Bingham’s voice proclaiming ‘My Diamond is Too Rough’. Musically the
album rocks in places especially in the strong chorus attaching itself to ‘Radio’, while an accordion led border
sound and a Spanish count-in heralds the transcontinental road song ‘Adventures of You and Me’.
There will no doubt be mutterings of Dylan and Earle in
Bingham’s style but how about a shout out to Indiana troubadour Otis Gibbs who
equally masters and harnesses the gruff sound. Sound wise the guitar is
undoubtedly king with enough twang to appease the country contingent, harmonica
the blues brigade and a general across the board mix to have the Americana
world drooling. The recording holy trinity of sound, vocals and lyrical content
are all present in the highest order and the latter being blessed with an
incited implicitness.
