Following his introduction to UK audiences last year, the
big question is how would Cale Tyson build on this impressive beginning? The
answer is about to be revealed when CARELESS SOUL gets its release on April 8 and
folks are not going to be disappointed. Think – Louisiana Hayride meets Phil
Spector meets Muscle Shoals in its heyday – and you can start to aurally
imagine the sound that is going to pour out of your chosen listening device.
There is a little bit of adjustment needed from the debut recordings that had
multiple issues across the continents and get prepared for the horns influence
straight from the early bars of the opening track. Once the necessary
adjustments have been made, sit back and enjoy a masterclass of country soul –
2016 style.
Cale Tyson is the master interpreter of the sad song and
there’s plenty to wallow in on this outstanding record. His debut UK shows last
year presented a performer with a striking presence and the good news this year
is that the live show is being extended to a four piece band, sadly probably no
horns but plenty of pedal steel no doubt. As earlier indicated, the musicianship
on the new record is second to none, whether detected via the pedal steel on
the re-assuring sad ‘Dark Dark’ or
the scintillating keyboard piece on ‘Railroad
Blues’, a song title straight out of the annals of traditional country
music.
The high spots on this record can almost be on a rotation
and at the time of writing, the back to back blissful duo of ‘Travelling Man’ and ‘Pain in My Heart’ soar to the top of the
pile. They epitomise Cale at his heartfelt best, imploding with tear jerking
passion and leaving the listener in a drooling state of mind. Depending on your
mood there is other significant port of calls including the soul stomping title
track ‘Careless Soul’ packed with
strings and embodying the appeal of early 60’s pop music. For a more earthy
rock ‘n’ roll style number look no further than the subsequent track ‘Easy’ complete with stimulating instrumental
solos. If you are looking for stylish writing then ‘Gonna Love a Woman’ will meet your approval and leave you to decide
whether Cale is being witty or bitter in a ditty laden track bestowed with the catchy
chorus line ‘if you’re gonna love a woman, you’re gonna be blue’.
The album starts and finishes in contrasting styles. Opener ‘Staying Kind’ leaves you in no doubt of
the direction the record is going to take with horns immediately kicking in and
a theme of clinging on to what you’ve got. On the other hand, ‘Ain’t it Strange’ acts as a restful
closer, almost bringing you down from the pleasurable turmoil that the other
tracks have generated. The second track on the record, ‘Somebody Save Me’ is a stark reminder that amongst all the lavish
additions, Cale Tyson is essentially a country singer from Fort Worth Texas
making the well-trodden route to Nashville Tennessee. The riveting keys and
steel enhance this track which very much looks inwards with redemption. Apart from
the short track that is fully explained in the title, ‘Pain Reprise’, the final song for consideration is ‘High Lonesome Hill’ which proves the
most difficult one on the album to put a finger on. Either way, it fits perfectly
with the vibes of the record and contains further evidence of Cale’s emotive
vocals pouring out a multitude of expressive feelings.
CARELESS SOUL is an exceptional album showcasing country soul at its very best. It is a wonderful experience conjuring up images of wandering across the AM dial. There are no half measures; this is a full on release honing in on a heady mix of addictive pleasure and pain. Cale Tyson is a performer with natural charisma, possessing the nous for delivering explicit feelings in his songs. Any doubts that the promise of 2015 couldn’t be followed up are now distinctly obsolete.
