John Hiatt - The Open Road

  by Lisa Torem

published: 18 / 2 / 2010

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Review

Indiana-based rock guitarist/pianist, singer- songwriter John Hiatt penned ‘Sure As I’m Sitting Here’ when he worked as a writer for Tree International, which became a hit for American group Three Dog Night. This led to a contract with Epic Records. Hiatt’s early influences included Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder, and his long-lasting career has resulted to date in the recording of eighteen studio and two live albums. His tunes have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt (‘Thing Called Love’) and Buddy Guy (‘Feels Like Rain’) plus a host of other recording artists and he has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards. Hiatt’s new release, ‘The Open Road’, contains traditional dust-kicking licks and rustic laments. The title track blazes through gravel-hewn gridlock; Hiatt’s voice sounds appropriately worn when required, and sometimes comically exuberant as he sonically examines the nuance of romance, everyday living and the monotony and ecstacy that rambling engenders. The mood continues with ‘Haulin’’ which pays homage to Nashville and Little Rock and embraces moving imagery. “Making red-eyed gravy for my manifold,” sings Hiatt, as he “rolls in the blue-grass of Kentucky.” ‘Go Down Swingin’ edges further down “into the lights of an open road” and ‘Like a Freight Train’ picks up speed once more. As Hiatt muses about keeping an eye on the blind spot, fancy steel-guitar licks create a misty momentum. Mid-way through,‘My Baby’ jackknives. Hiatt sputters the word ‘baby’ in a frenzied, maniacal manner, whilst reaching deeply into his mighty bag of blues. Once again, a detour occurs with ‘Homeland’. This Johnny Cash-like anthem has intricate, but playful phrases, such as “caught up in the trees of the web of spiders” which details rural simplicity. ‘Wonder of Love’ rhapsodizes about the ordinary; pop tarts and cold coffee. “Don’t even know what love can do/Not gonna ask you where you been,” Hiatt sings with vulnerable believability. ‘Fireball Roberts’ contains some crippling wails: “I was trying to leave the black dog home/But it followed me to your house/And it carried its own chewed bone.” ‘Carry You Back Home’ is the quintessential ballad. “Been out in the wilderness/Could use a little tenderness/I give as good as I get.” Essentially, Hiatt does give us as good as he gets. There is a lot of stylistic variety both, vocally and instrumentally, and the constant change of theme and mood keeps the interest level high. It’s also refreshing to high-tail the “open road” with someone who’s actually been around the block.

Track Listing:-

1 The Open Road
2 Haulin'
3 Go Down Swingin'
4 Like a Freight Train
5 My Baby
6 Homeland
7 Wonder of Love
8 What Kind of Man
9 Movin' On
10 Fireball Roberts
11 Carry You Back Home

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/JohnHiatt/
http://www.johnhiatt.com/
https://twitter.com/johnhiattmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnHiatt

Label Links:-

http://newwestrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/newwestrecord
https://plus.google.com/+NewWestRecord
https://twitter.com/newwestrecords
http://newwestrecords.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/NewWestRe