(Philo/Rounder) Wishbones is singer/songwriter Slaid Cleaves' follow up to his acclaimed breakthrough album Broke Down. Once again working with his longtime producer Gurf Morlix at the helm, this time out Slaid departs from his usual acoustic based sound and goes for one that's meatier and more muscular. While contemplating how he wanted to follow up Broke Down, Slaid felt he wanted to make a 'band album,' one where the music was as much a part of the story as his lyrics and wasn't simply a backdrop to them. Although the songs get turned up several notches musically, Slaid's strong narrative, character driven stories filled with disillusionment and depression remain on par and front and center. 

The album opens with the title track "Wishbones," which was co-written with Ray Wylie Hubbard, that clings desperately to the hope for getting another chance in life. "Road Too Long" is a honky tonker about the pitfalls of life on the road and being gone from home just a little too much. "Drinkin' Days" is the sequel to "Horseshoe Lounge" from Broke Down and although the character has finally sobered up, he's still trying to work his way through all the damage already done. "Sinner's Prayer" is a standout with an ominous snakey blues groove that paints the portrait of a man with a dark side that he knows will eventually bring him down. 

Slaid's breakthrough song was the Rod Picott penned title track "Broke Down." On Wishbones, Slaid covers another Picott penned song, "Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues" that tells the story of a minor level boxer who's demons eventually lead him to drink himself to death. "Below" is a standout story ballad, painting a stark picture of the destruction of a small valley town taken over by 'company men.' "Quick As Dreams" is a highlight, the tale of an 84 year old man reminiscing about his past and still mourning the loss of his best friend who died tragically when they were 16. "Horses And Divorces" is a slight departure in that Slaid tells the story of a man's money woes in a more lighthearted, humorous vein. "Hearts Break" has an uptempo melody, but reminds us that all forms of heartbreak are a fact of life that will never change. "Borderline" is another standout, a western style ballad about a man in search for a better life for his family and just when it seems it's finally within his grasp, he loses it. Wishbones closes out on a note of optimism with a tale of a family gathering, "New Year's Day."

Despite all the disillusionment and hard luck/hard scrabble characters in his songs, Wishbones doesn't come across as a depressing album. Slaid has a warm, boyish quality to his voice that makes the darker subject matter go down easy. On this set of songs, he sets most of his stories to more upbeat and engaging melodies, while the 'bigger' full band sound, rather than detracting from, adds power and character to his songs and serves to successfully punctuate the various situations and circumstances of the characters he writes about. Slaid has not only delivered another batch of first rate, emotionally honest and vivid songs that continue to explore the darker side of people and life, but Wishbones shows that he's also evolving both as a writer and a performer, not content to rest on his laurels and stay in one place.         

Standout Tracks: "Wishbones," "Drinkin' Days," "Sinner's Prayer," "Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues," "Below," "Quick As Dreams," "Borderline"

On The Net: www.slaid.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack June 2004