Portland, Oregon-based singer/ songwriter CALEB KLAUDER is rapidly turning into the Robert Pollard of Americana. Over the past few months, W&H has been enchanted by his splendid Cajun-Roots outfit The Foghorn Trio’s ‘Sud de la Louisiane’ and slipped on our (barn) dancing shoes for a whirl around the floor to ‘The Right Combination’: the spirited gumbo of Roots, Cajun and old-time Country he helped concoct with fellow Foghorns, Paul Brainard (of Richmond Fontaine fame) and Louisiana producers/musicians Jesse Lége and Joel Savoy under the guise of The Cajun Country Revival.
With the printing barely dry on either of those record sleeves, our be-Stetsoned hero’s back again, this time with a solo album ‘Western Country’, the follow-up to his 2007 outing ‘Dangerous Mes and Poisonous Yous.’ While I’m still catching my breath from that whirlwind of activity, it’s probably fair to point out that ‘Western Country’ may be billed as a ‘solo’ outing, but once again it features skilful support from Foghorn Trio cohorts Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind’ and Nadine Landry, while Paul Brainard again stops by with a selection of electric and steel guitars and rhythm section Ned Folkerth (drums) and bassist Jesse Emerson (The Decemberists) inject the kind of Rock’n’Roll kick that allowed ‘The Right Combination’ to go with such a swing.
Taking in everything from authentic Honky-Tonk country originals (the very Hank Williams-ish ‘My Time is Gonna Come’) through to fiddle-led rural folk-blues (‘Been on the Line’) and shuffling, Creedence-style Rockabilly (‘Deep River’), ‘Western Swing’ is a beautifully-crafted melange of Roots and Country styles played with passion and feeling. The song-writing is definitely of Nashville quality and the performances simply smoke.
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The originals are interspersed with a generous selection of well-chosen covers. Grayson and Whitter’s ‘Joking Henry’ fair barrels along with Brainard’s guitar and Lind’s fiddle trading licks, while ‘My Baby Came Back’ is a sprightly take of a choice chestnut from the Louvin Bros estimable catalogue. Everyone from The Byrds to Jeff Buckley has previously attempted Red Hayes/ Jack Rhodes’ ‘Satisfied Mind’, meanwhile, but Klauder and co play it enviably straight and sorrowful and their version works like a dream as a result. It’s a tribute to Klauder’s abilities that he’s never out-classed in such august song-writing company and he keeps the self-penned ‘In the Beginning’ in reserve for the album’s suitably graceful and melancholic finale.
As with ‘Sud de la Louisiane’ and ‘The Right Combination’, ‘Western Country’ is rooted in a deep love and respect for the great American roots music tradition. For such a youthful performer, Caleb Klauder authentically channels the sounds of Great Depression-era America and tops and tails them for a contemporary 21st century audience. In his skilful hands, quantity balances very comfortably with quality.
Caleb Klauder website
Quicksilver Productions online
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