The Stand-In Takes Center Stage

The most expressive of musical instruments is the voice. Such a range and depth of emotion can be conveyed from one line to another. Caitlin Rose is a another Nashville artist and is blessed with an excellent instrument in her voice. She is also a gifted songwriter.

Her latest record is The Stand-In and is a great slice of modern takes on a classic country sound. Focusing on the lady side of the house, country music in it's current popular format has become so commercialized and pop-ized that it has been rendered unlistenable. What makes good country music great is the pathos, the longing, and most importantly the element of strength imbued in the music and the lyrics. It started with Shania Twain, whose ex-hubby Mutt Lange added electric fiddles and a pop sensibility. Sure it had an element of feminism but it had no punch; it was girl-power in the form of girls-night-out-in-short-skirts-and-high-boots. Fair enough (and nothing inherently wrong with that), it was made to move records and it moved a LOT of records, but the music isn't interesting in the slightest. This has culminated in the form of Taylor Swift, who for all the praise and sales is to me absolutely terrible. It's bubblegum without any of the sweetness. And country music this ain't.

That doesn't mean good female country isn't out there. Artists like Tift Merritt, Shannon McNally, Lindi Ortega, Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne are still doing their thing. Add Caitlin Rose to the interesting mix. The Stand-In is a classic sounding record with a modern touch. It has that Loretta and Patsy vibe on songs like "Golden Boy," "Dallas" and "Pink Champagne," goes nearly indie-rock on "Everywhere I Go" and then rocks a way Shania can only dream of in tracks like "No One To Call" and "Silver Sings."

She has such a great expressive voice. It's classic sounding but unique; that's what makes a truly great singer. Ms Rose has a wonderful instrument at her disposal and she knows how to write songs that let her gift shine. It helps she has a crackerjack of a band backing her.

Here's the best song on the record, co-written with Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, "Only A Clown." Taylor Swift wishes she could write a song this good. It has a fantastic hook in the chorus that just grabs me and makes me smile.

Of course though this song won't be a hit because the system is fixed. That's another story, though.

PS smoking is bad for you, Caitlin!

The Beast In Its Tracks

Josh Ritter is among the great American songwriters.  To me at least. He has a great sense of melody and far more often than not he tosses of a great line. Like this from "Girl In The War" from his brilliant Animal Years album: "Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote/Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go."

His latest record, The Beast In Its Tracks, finds him carrying on in the aftermath of his divorce. The name of the record is apt.  Instead of looking at the loss through a prism of anger and pain and revenge and axe-grinding, Ritter took a year to get over those inevitabilities and instead looks at his divorce and his new relationship as a sigul of rebirth and progress and moving on. Stopping the beast in its proverbial tracks. For a break-up record it's unnaturally upbeat and positive.

Take "Hopeful" for example. It straddles the sadness that comes with a break-up:

How many times did you give me all your love

Just to find out it was so far from far from enough

I followed her out into the street in the rain

And the whole world stopped spinning and it just went up in flame

But then re-enforces life's circle with the joy of new love:

These days I'm feeling better about the man I am

There's things I can't change and there's other I can

I've met someone new now I know I deserve

I've never met someone loves the world more than her

There's dark moments but there's an abundance of light. That's refreshing these days; you don't really hear that too often, or if you do it's usually so syrupy or pretentious it's unlistenable. In my own songwriting, I tend to drift towards the dark and sad, though I am really trying to get more upbeat! It's hard to write happy or even positive that doesn't sound maudlin.

After the first listen I admit the album didn't really strike me. The last few Josh Ritter records have not resonated as well as the aforementioned Animal Years. But after giving this record the headphone experience the lyrics stood out. Stood out enough to make me stop in my tracks. There is beauty in Ritter's lines and there is real life hidden within them. From the bitterness that gives way to resignation and moments of schadenfreude that hopefully leads to the joy that is often buried deep within the trials.

Musically, it's acoustic driven. The band doesn't show up until halfway through the first side. And when it does show up it serves to augment the words and the subtle performance of Ritter himself. Whereas Ritter has often been compared to Bob Dylan, pre-Graceland Paul Simon is what comes to mind here. The vocal delivery is fast, is story-driven, is done with a Simon-esque lilt.

So, here is a great record. A really really great record that strikes me with each new listen. I'll leave you with a live version of the stand-out track "Hopeful." Enjoy. And buy it!!