Hayes Carll is a real gem on the Texas music scene. He has the a voice that reminds me sometimes of Steve Earle and at other times of Hank Williams Sr. And accessibility from your Garth Brooks fans to hipster college kids. This album is Texas through and through, but stands out with it's sad, unique and often funny lyrics. Carll had some success on the Americana scene in 2008 with the song "She Left me for Jesus" (which is funny as hell, no pun intended), but I knew almost nothing about Carll until a few months when a friend introduced me to his stuff, and within the next few weeks I saw him on Austin City Limits and then Jay Leno playing the song "KMAG YOYO" (which stands for 'Kiss my ass guys, you're on your own"). I was sold on that song right then, so I bought the whole album (KMAG YOYO & Other American Stories) last week and it's been on constant circulation since.
The first time I listened to the album all the way through, sans the songs "Stomp and Holler" and "KMAG YOYO", I was a little bored with the album as a whole. But recalling my first listen to The National's "High Violet", (which almost put me to sleep, but every listen after it developed and revealed itself more and more, and now is one of my favorite records) I decided to give "KMAG YOYO" another shot, and I am glad I did. On that second listen the tracks "Another Like You" and "Grateful for Christmas" jumped out at me and sucked me into the stories Carll was singing. Upon each listen another song or two sticks with me when something new or funny reveals itself in the songwriting.
Hayes Carll is Americana through and through. The sound of this album would be ideally enjoyed driving through east Texas with all the windows down. The electric guitar reminds me of a Drive-By Truckers album on songs like "KMAG YOYO" and "Stomp and Holler" while the piano on "Hide Me" could fit in on a Tom Waits album, and when the choir in the background starts humming, expect goosebumps. "Hard Out Here" could be played on the jukebox at a honkey tonk and fit in with that lonesome moan of the slide guitar and the line "I used to have a heart but the highway took it" swaying with a jingle jangle reminiscent of Dylan's "Rainy Day Women 12 & 35″.
The songs are all good, but sometimes they go on just a little too long. "Chances Are" is a "sad country song" in every sense of the word and very upfront, about 2 minutes in to that song my mind starts to wander a little. The same is true with "Grand Parade", not bad by any stretch, just sort of one-dimensional. But maybe I just haven't listened to the album enough yet. Or it could be that there are just songs on "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) that are SO excellent that decent songs lose their luster when places right next to them. Either way, they don't detract from the album as a whole.
Of the excellent songs on the album, the masterpiece is the song "KMAG YOYO". It's a funny, surreal story about a young solider in Afghanistan and his unlikely journey through the military and U.S. government. I laugh out loud a bit every time I hear "slippin' out the back door, gonna join the peace core, tell me I'm a hero so someone else can fight this war". It's bitingly ironic and political, Carll brilliantly lets his sense of humor make a very serious point about the war in Afghanistan. It's pure gold
If you take one thing away from this review, I hope it is: "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is worth your time and money (don't illegally download, that is just sleazy). It's early in the year, but as of March 22, "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is one of the best albums of the year, as far as this humble blogger is concerned.
The first time I listened to the album all the way through, sans the songs "Stomp and Holler" and "KMAG YOYO", I was a little bored with the album as a whole. But recalling my first listen to The National's "High Violet", (which almost put me to sleep, but every listen after it developed and revealed itself more and more, and now is one of my favorite records) I decided to give "KMAG YOYO" another shot, and I am glad I did. On that second listen the tracks "Another Like You" and "Grateful for Christmas" jumped out at me and sucked me into the stories Carll was singing. Upon each listen another song or two sticks with me when something new or funny reveals itself in the songwriting.
Hayes Carll is Americana through and through. The sound of this album would be ideally enjoyed driving through east Texas with all the windows down. The electric guitar reminds me of a Drive-By Truckers album on songs like "KMAG YOYO" and "Stomp and Holler" while the piano on "Hide Me" could fit in on a Tom Waits album, and when the choir in the background starts humming, expect goosebumps. "Hard Out Here" could be played on the jukebox at a honkey tonk and fit in with that lonesome moan of the slide guitar and the line "I used to have a heart but the highway took it" swaying with a jingle jangle reminiscent of Dylan's "Rainy Day Women 12 & 35″.
The songs are all good, but sometimes they go on just a little too long. "Chances Are" is a "sad country song" in every sense of the word and very upfront, about 2 minutes in to that song my mind starts to wander a little. The same is true with "Grand Parade", not bad by any stretch, just sort of one-dimensional. But maybe I just haven't listened to the album enough yet. Or it could be that there are just songs on "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) that are SO excellent that decent songs lose their luster when places right next to them. Either way, they don't detract from the album as a whole.
Of the excellent songs on the album, the masterpiece is the song "KMAG YOYO". It's a funny, surreal story about a young solider in Afghanistan and his unlikely journey through the military and U.S. government. I laugh out loud a bit every time I hear "slippin' out the back door, gonna join the peace core, tell me I'm a hero so someone else can fight this war". It's bitingly ironic and political, Carll brilliantly lets his sense of humor make a very serious point about the war in Afghanistan. It's pure gold
If you take one thing away from this review, I hope it is: "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is worth your time and money (don't illegally download, that is just sleazy). It's early in the year, but as of March 22, "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is one of the best albums of the year, as far as this humble blogger is concerned.
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