So the whole singer-songwriter glut has turned me vaguely hostile toward them as a breed, but thankfully, there are a few standout performers who remind me that I shouldn't tar them all with the same brush, and that they're not all winsome, introspective wimps. Langhorne Slim is one of them, and 'Be Set Free' is an album of breadth, depth and quality. The thirteen tracks on 'Be Set Free' span a range of emotions and moods, as well as styles and tempos.
'Sit all day, pissing away my time / looking in your crystal ball but I don't know why / living too fast to live too long / I don't wanna die but I don't know where I belong' is how he opens the album, immediately casting himself in the role of hard-living outsider artist. It's a role he plays well, with real conviction and he delivers his heartfelt lyrics with an appealing authenticity across a set that draws on brawling blues, folk and a whole lot more besides to weave an intricate and magnificently crafted musical tapestry.
'Say Yes' has a rickety, but equally jaunty rabble-rousing element to it, while the more sedate 'Land of Dreams' which features a countrified banjo also boasts one of the coolest big drum sounds since Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Boxer.' There's a real feelgood, knees-up vibe to the call-and-response 'Cinderella', which is counterbalanced by the more downbeat moments like 'I Love You, But Goodbye', and the world-weary yet life-affirming philosophy of the title track. Elsewhere, 'For a Little While' begins at a plod but nevertheless whips itself into a frenzy in the middle and builds to a theatrical-sounding finale.
|
Slim has a voice that conveys experience and really lends depth and life to the material, which boasts some nice lyrical flourishes as well as moments of straight-talkin', no-messin' street eloquence. Credit must also go to Chris Funk and Tucker Martine who respectively produced and mixed the album: the result is a recording that's uncluttered and direct, with enough ragged edges to leave the spirit of the songs unsullied by studio polishing. A triumph.
Langhorne Slim on Myspace
|
