When the hot sun beats down and a dormant landscape fires up the imagination taking your time is the best way forward. There is a twist of Spanish longevity in the title as the brand new album by Ags Connolly settles down for a lengthy journey pondering life and love to its core. The lure of Texas country permeates deep into the musical calling, but on this his fourth LP outing he takes it right to the edge with an inhibited leap into a world where two cultures collide. SIEMPRE (the translation reveals all whether poetic or realistic) is a triple headed homage to the border inducing meticulously blended accordion, fiddle and guitar. The border may be more Tex-Mex than Oxon-Glos but it has been long stated that the music of this lonesome troubadour carries no national identities.
Lonesome is Ags on his usual stage pedestal and a staunchly independent approach to curating a niche place in multiple scenes. However he knows the value of collaboration whether assembling a group of crack players to smash the studio content or periodically hitting the road in another format. Ultimately all points lead to a calling that thrived before the bump in the road and is now back powering forward towards a South-West sunset ahead of another cloudless day dawning.
The music of Ags Connolly unashamedly draws inspiration from a wide southern template. Texas seems a natural stopping place for a new immersion into an obvious Lone Star passion. The ten tracks of this 34-minute wondrous stroll undulate between the pacy stomping effort of 'Señora (Whatever Comes First)' to contemplating life through the lens of the ultimate sad slow vibes of 'Half Forgotten Tunes'.
The album kicks off the artist's new phase with a couple of catchy and distinct tracks that are wholly recognisable. Clues to its destination aren't hard to detect in the prime opener 'Headed South for a While'. This is instantly followed by another of the record's upbeat moments with the new sound embedded firmly into 'Change My Mind' primarily fired by the ubiquitous and scene setting accordion.
You never know the extent of the writing being in-character or driven by something closer to home. That mystery lies within the writer and it is a great skill to write with shrouded emotion and an air of candid intrigue. Life and love are insularly dissected in songs like 'I Trust My Heart These Days', which aches like an old country song seeking a timely solution to an age old problem. The follow-on track 'In Love At All' tugs at the heart strings like true country music should and is a clear example of Ags Connolly finding a pot of gold.
The concluding moments raise the stakes first with the penultimate heartbreaker 'Turns Out' finding a place for fiddle and twangy strings to shine alongside the established accordion. We exit the barroom door on a more optimistic note in 'I'd Be Good For You' with a sealed and delivered signature set of songs handed over to the listener to savour. Willie Nelson once said that a song is yours once it's out there. It may or may not be the Ags Connolly mantra but I think there is merit in this creative exchange for deep listening.
If you're seeking a definitive 3-minutes, honing in on 'Tell Me What You Were Gonna Tell Me' packages the sound, intent and ethos of a musical stab at something a little different. The song narrates with meaning, passion and believable honesty. This leaves us with one more vignette to announce. 'I'd Be Good For You' is an absolute treasure if you have a thing for a barroom-fuelled beer glass-gazing country waltzer. Once again fiddle finds it way to the top; a place where the inimitable vocals of Ags Connolly reside and settle.
SIEMPRE sees the flame of Ags Connolly flickering brightly. In a shimmering haze of country, cowboy and amigo, he has sauntered authentically down a distant highway and used all the musical acumen of his assembled team to prosper. Another dye of this maverick's cast is set, and enriched minds are fulfilled from a skirt with a legendary border sound.
