|
Dub Miller Post Country |
||
|
Track List
|
(Pontotoc Records) Dub Miller follows up
his 1999 debut, American Troubadour, with his long waited
sophomore release, Post Country. When I first heard what his
new disc was titled, it struck me as curious. What did "Post Country"
mean? Was Dub abandoning country music? Was this a project where he
was stretching his wings, maybe trying something different? When the
CD arrived, and I looked at the song titles, I had to say...nah,
neither. But what did "Post Country" mean? There's no song on the CD
with that title. I popped it in, and what jumped out were songs about
cowboys, honky tonks, leavin' home, and plenty of references
throughout the disc to such country touchstones as Hank through Wayon,
Willie, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, Asleep At The Wheel to
Johnny Cash's Wreck of the Old '97 and the Orange Blossom Special. The
songs are the kind that would fill up the dance floor in a
heartbeat on any honky tonk Saturday night, with everything from
two-steppers, to rocking roadhouse songs that tip their hat to Waylon
and Charlie Daniels in their prime.
Post Country opens with the
slightly country-folk of "Insanity And Texas," the lament of a
homesick Texan being parted from his beloved home state, and I don't
think anyone could pack more fiddle and steel into one song if their
life depended on it. Dub provides plenty of two stepping honky
tonkers. "That's When I'm Coming Back Home," moves between honky tonk
in the verses, to western swing in the chorus, on this witty as all
heck song about leavin' his wife and giving her a few "when hell
freezes over" style examples about when he'll be coming back
home...which amount to pretty much never. A disc highlight is the
outstanding, "Honky Tonks & Dancehalls," a classic shuffling lament
about how "honky tonks don't twang like they used to," and there's no
places left anymore for a man to go to drown his sorrows. "The Train
Song," with those Merle Haggard guitar riffs, is driving, full speed
ahead pure country. Yet another real gem, "Honky Tonk Church,"
appropriately closes out Post Country. Dub has concocted
a honky tonk gospel sing-a-long, backed by the Cedar Creek Fishin'
Tackle Choir on the choruses, on this raucous song about sinning on
Saturday night and being saved on Sunday. A honky tonk is the perfect
place to start a church, after all, they may be "worthless sinners,
but ain't that who He came to save..."? This is undoubtedly one
that'll be a real crowd pleaser in Dub's live shows.
Cowboys come up often throughout Dub's
lyrics, and on Post Country he devotes two songs to the
subject, the poignant ballad, "Little Cowboy's Prayer," which he based
on a prayer from his childhood. "21st Century Cowboy," is the tale of
a cowboy getting on in years, trying to adapt to the life style of the
modern era, like trading in his horse he used to round up cattle
with, for a pick-up truck.
He moves closer to a road house (but still
highly danceable) sound, with the balance of the songs. Though this is
one of three songs on the disc that Dub didn't write, the outstanding
"Reaching For The Stars (and playing for the door)" has Waylon written
all over it, in song structure, the pulsating bass line, and
the subject matter of "life on the road and why we do it." "Hard
Headed Woman," captures the "Charlie Daniels in his prime" brand of
country mixed with rock, and contains an infectious rhythm groove and
killer fiddle licks. The utterly irresistible "Cowboys & Sailors"
rocks a little harder, with a frustratingly catchy sing-a-long chorus
and a driving beat that you'll find yourself being hard pressed at
even attempting to sit still through, on this song comparing the
similarities between the hard lives of cowboys and sailors.
As if this isn't enough to make the Lloyd
Maines produced Post Country truly great, add in the stellar
backing players Dub assembled for this disc. Lloyd adds
his legendary pedal steel, as well as dobro and acoustic guitar. Rich
Brotherton kicks in electric and acoustic guitar, along with mandolin.
Bill Whitbeck and Dan Garlon provide bass, and Les Lawless and Paul
Pearcy, drums. Brady Black is on fiddle, and Mark Skinner handles
harmony vocals. This outstanding group of musicians really make Dub
and his songs shine.
So then, what to make of the term "Post
Country?" After listening to this album full of songs that heavily
make reference to country's past, it could be his lament of today's
country music made up of flyweight
pop songs tinged ever so slightly with twang, while recalling when
country music was really country music. Dub makes music that
straddles the old, and incorporates the best of the new. So it could
also be construed as the kind of music he makes, with "Post Country"
meaning the next faze of the music, after most of what's, very
unfortunately, been labeled as "country" music for what's now closing
in on the past decade. I like that term much better than "alt-country"
or "Americana"...it rings a more hopeful bell. Well, whatever Dub
means by "Post Country," Post Country is country music the
way it both used to be, and what it should be today. And with
that, Dub Miller has rightfully earned himself a spot among country
music's "real deals."
|
|
AnnMarie
Harrington
Take Country Back November 2002