Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

by Malcolm Carter

published: 1 / 7 / 2014

Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Label: Loose Music
Format: CD

intro

Fantastic second album from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson, which mixes traditional country with rock, psychedelia and soul

The Loose label have made a shrewd move by following up the recently released debut by Nashville-based Sturgill Simpson so quickly. With the release of ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ Europe finally catches up with the rest of the world by having all of late starter Simpson’s small but brilliant catalogue easily available. Simpson’s debut ‘High Top Mountain’ was very warmly received by both fans of traditional country music and the music critics. It appeared that in Simpson yet another artist was unearthed who was capable of keeping that classic country sound alive and kicking. ‘High Top Mountain’ was an accomplished set of songs delivered with an abundance of confidence by Simpson. Over that set Simpson proved that, although sticking to the traditional country sound, he was worthy of all the plaudits showered on his debut because each song was injected with little shots of Simpson’s own identity that made an age-old music sound contemporary. He also proved to be a lyricist of no little worth. It was announced at the time of the UK release of ‘High Top Mountain’ that Simpson’s follow-up had not only been recorded but was already available in some territories. The title of this second set of songs was a nod to Ray Charles (and both of those albums, ‘Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volumes 1 & 2’, are currently available at a stupidly low price and should be a part of any music lover's collection. Even if the latest issue on a certain label might not sit so easy to those concerned about the artists getting what they are due, the Concord/Universal 2CD was still available at the time of writing at a decent price so go for that one), and one couldn’t help but wonder exactly where Simpson was going to take his vision of country music next given that title. There are ten songs on ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ of which eight are Simpson originals and two covers. ‘Long White Line’, which many country fans will be familiar with from the Charlie Moore and Bill Napier version from the mid-sixties, is a fine reading. Simpson’s take is exactly as you’d expect it to be. It’s a strong country road song with no surprises but with Simpson’s powerful vocals, and Laur Joamets’ blazing guitar the song can’t fail to impress. The other cover, which is more surprising, is a version of When in Rome’s ‘The Promise’. Simpson takes what was a decent tune, strips it of its 80's electronic trappings and turns the song into a sizzling slice of country/soul. Simpson’s baritone has never sounded more expressive than it does on this track, and the emotion that drips from every word in the last few lines is almost heart stopping. If there’s one thing that bugs this particular writer it’s the ‘makes the song his own’ line when describing a cover version, but what else can one say here? Simpson hasn’t changed the song beyond all recognition. He’s just poured his heart and soul into the track and claimed ownership of it from now on. As for Simpson’s originals, the promise shown on his debut is built on here and choosing the title for this set was no idle boast. There are still songs that display Simpson’s love of traditional country, but given his vocal prowess, his lyrical dexterity and his red-hot band of musicians he still takes the genre further than any of his contemporaries. The album starts with a spoken introduction by Simpson’s 82 year-old grandfather Dood Fraley, before ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ initially has the listener thinking that not much has changed in the few months since we first heard Simpson’s debut. Lyrically Simpson is still sharp and imaginative. He sings, “Where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain” and “Marijuana, LSD, psilocybin and DMT they all changed the way I see but love’s the only thing that ever saved my life”, but the sound is country all the way, to begin with at least. When the dream-like sequence that frames the latter line of lyrics appears from nowhere the song really does shoot into another orbit. Although Simpson and Gram Parsons are worlds apart vocally, one can’t help but wonder if this is what Parsons had in his head when searching for his cosmic American music. But Simpson quickly dispels any thoughts that given that opening song and the title of this latest collection he’s abandoned the traditional country of his debut entirely as the following song, ‘Life of Sin’, is a return to the rocking country sound that dominated his debut. While the next song, ‘Living the Dream’ also proudly shows Simpson’s country leanings, there’s less honky tonk with more soul displayed and also further proof that the musicians Simpson has chosen to back him must rate as some of the best. It’s a powerful performance from all concerned. ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ is certainly a more experimental affair than its predecessor. ‘A Little Light Within’ leans towards gospel, (hardly surprising given the lyrical content of many of these songs) while ‘Just Let Go’ and the six-minute plus ‘It Ain’t All Flowers’ show a completely different side to Simpson. The latter, which mixes psychedelia with country and soul, is Simpson’s finest song to date. Pushing his vocals to their limit Simpson wails while a maelstrom of sound erupts behind him. The ghost of Hendrix floats over the song while Sly Stone shakes his head in wonder. It’s a remarkable and again totally unexpected performance from all concerned. There was no doubt after ‘High Top Mountain’ that country music had found a new saviour but what wasn’t apparent then was just how far Simpson was going to take this music. On ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ Simpson has proven that there are few, if any, that are making music this powerful and intelligent within his chosen genre. Where Simpson goes from here is anybody’s guess but on this evidence it’s going to be some trip.

Track Listing:-

1 Turtles All the Way Down
2 Life of Sin
3 Living the Dream
4 Voices
5 Long White Line
6 The Promise
7 A Little Light
8 Just Let Go
9 It Ain't All Light
10 Pan Bowl

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/sturgillsimpsonmusic
http://www.sturgillsimpson.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgill_Simpson
https://sturgillsimpson.bandcamp.com/releases
https://twitter.com/sturgillsimpson

Label Links:-

http://loosemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/loosemusic
https://twitter.com/looseMusic
http://www.last.fm/user/Loose_Music
https://www.youtube.com/loosemusic
https://instagram.com/loose_music/