‘Truth and Scars’ would be the ideal name for a future Rod
Picott album. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but the sentiment of
these two words threads right through his new record. OUT PAST THE WIRES is the
equally astute title for this release, which surfaces in a double unit format
to house the twenty-two tracks that made the cut from an enormous choice of
songs at his disposal. Prolific is probably an understatement for an artist so
immersed in the song writing game. Of course, such an extensive content makes
demands on the listener and there are certain tricks to getting the best out of
a Rod Picott record.
Essentially, this is to grasp the lyrical offering, which
slants towards a perceptive view on life far away from the victors in society.
Frequently, this focusses on the post-industrial landscape that doubles up as a
take on the human side of urban blight and rural abandonment. Indeed, the album
title, which appears early in the opening track of disc 1, suggests a zone
where life is a struggle and the perpetual characters that infiltrate the
narration are naturally ‘the afflicted’. Thus you can describes Picott’s
writing as political with a small ‘p’, although the solutions are often thrown in
as crumbs of self-fulfilling comfort and inner hope.
Musically, the album is characterised by an earthy gruffness
that has long been a much-loved trait of Rod Picott’s vocals. Under the
stewardship of Neilson Hubbard at the production helm and a team of players
including Will Kimbrough on guitar, the sound spans the tempo spectrum
including a fair few standard roots rockers thrown into the mix alongside the
usual downbeat numbers. Both formats add to the appeal of the record.
Unlike some double albums, there does not seem a natural
split to the themes of each disc. To get the most out of it, a fair amount of
stamina is required, though riches do eventually reward the endeavour. In tune
with a touch of precedence, there is the usual song exchange with his long-term
song-writing friend Slaid Cleaves. Fans of both artists will be familiar with
this process and four of the six co-writes to feature are from this
combination. ‘Take Home Pay’ and ‘Primer Gray’ were both included on the
last Slaid Cleaves album and it is of little surprise that their inclusion here
sees them among the pick of the tracks.
Primarily, Rod Picott ploughs a solitary route, and it has
been a long time since any of his tours have been anything but. Shades of
dourness are an essential ingredient into his music that at a stretch does
contain an optimistic streak within the extensive bouts of pessimism. ‘We All Live On’ and ‘Little Things’ do ensure disc 2 ends on
a positive note, especially on the back of probably the album’s most depressing
track ‘Bottom of the Well’. Beginning
with the line ‘he’s gonna drink himself to death now’, the tone of the latter
is suitably set.
Joining the two aforementioned, Slaid Cleaves co-writes, as
the high spots of disc 1 are the realistic rocker ‘A Better Man’ and the cynically stricken ‘Coal’, which is a rare dip into blame territory. Picott’s writing
is fully in tune with the symbolic pockets of western society that have proved
fertile ground for certain political exploitation. There is scope for development
from the implied coping strategies into firmer solutions, but who can predict
the future direction of a songwriter’s mind.
The pick of disc 2 includes the excellently written ‘Diamonds in the Dirt’ with its count
your blessings sentiment and the upbeat, yet still plight ridden with a hint of
hope, ‘Store Bought’. ‘Straight Job’ is a decent piece of
narrative based story telling of springing into action. While Rod Picott will
always remain his own man, the temptation to hail ‘Hard Luck Baby’ as a true heartland rocker in the vein of
Springsteen and Mellencamp is too good to miss.
OUT PAST THE WIRES is a compelling album and not really one to dip into on a casual basis. This is symptomatic as to why Rod Picott will always be on the outer periphery of the mainstream. However, artist and fan base are always likely to be content with this scenario, and, on the evidence of material left on the cutting room floor, an eventual album count well into double figures will surely follow. It may take a certain mind-set to believe in the music of Rod Picott and the intent of his post-industrial message. Possessing it is the ultimate key to getting the most out of this extensive release.
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