In September 1992, I treated myself to a birthday present of tickets to see Dwight Yoakam and The Jayhawks play the Hammersmith Odeon. One of the standout venues for live music in London, the Odeon was the perfect showcase for Yoakam and his entourage. (Not a bad platform to launch the Jayhawks either.)
Back then, Yoakam was one of the new breed of country ‘Hat” acts along with Clint Black and Lyle Lovett who had reinvigorated a genre that was dying a slow death in Nashville.
In the same way that Dwight Yoakam carried the torch for Buck Owens and the Bakersfield’s sound, Sturgill Simpson is doing the same thing for The Outlaw movement of the 70s and in particular, Waylon Jennings. The 1978 Waylon Jennings No. 1 hit, ‘I’ve Always Been Crazy’ might sit comfortably in the middle of Simpson’s catalogue. Similarly you could be forgiven for thinking that ‘The Promise’ was a self-reflective piece recorded by Jennings at his peak in the 70s.
Either way, it’s quite the compliment to Simpson that his work is mentioned in the same breath as Waylon Jennings.
It’s unsurprising that Simpson is standard-bearer given his credentials; born in Kentucky, served in the military, worked in freight-yards and is battling alcoholism. All that aside, he is a decent guitar player and lyricist and while he sounds like Waylon Jennings (a lot), the overall package merits Simpson as an accomplished artist in his own right.
‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ does for me what “Guitars, Cadillacs, etc, etc…” did with Yoakam. It invites you to rediscover Jennings’ pantheon of work, as with Buck Owens, but it also introduces you to a brand new artist worthy of individual consideration.
‘Turtles All The Way Down’ as a song, gives religion a bit of kicking, which may not enhance his popularity in Nashville and beyond, but maybe that’s part of the appeal, and just like those outlaws before him, he doesn’t seem to be too bothered about popularity contests.
‘The Promise’ is a real contradiction, in that it sounds like it’s a 40-year-old song, but at the same time just perfect for right now. But there are gems everywhere.
Labelled by Rolling Stone as “the saviour of country music,” there is an honest pessimism that underlines Simpsons’ work on this album, and while he may not be a game-changing Messiah, there’s sufficient musical light coming through to suggest that with this second album he is only getting warmed up.