THE LINGO – Tumblin’
The careers of the really great country singers rarely lasted very long. Sure, it was possible to go see some of them play live in their seventies or, maybe, older. But they weren’t the same people. How could they be?
The old versions of the outlaws that sang the songs were just pushed on stage by someone demanding a paycheck. Sure, some of them still had charisma and could spin a tune. But how could anyone survive the things that they’d been through?
The kamikaze pilots had nothing on the outlaw country singers. Their missions were similar, or, at least, had a similar ending. The difference is that the singers documented the frightening fall from great heights.
There’s something marvelously playful about The Lingo. The playing is strong and brings to mind The Allman Brothers Band. But, make no mistake about it, “Tumblin’” is a song about venturing out into the unknown with no chance of ever returning. Not sane. Not safe. These are, however, the best country-influenced songs. These songs are heroic, and the heroes are doomed.
Towne & Stevens – Tryna Go Home
Everything changes, everything stays the same. Or, at any rate, things change at a much slower pace than we’d like to think. It’s in almost nobody’s interest to think that. Revolutionary movements make needles spin. Tradition doesn’t.
You’ll hear the newspaper and television stations blasting you with reports about how you’re no longer living in the world you once thought you were in. But you take a walk outside the avenues and into the sidestreets and can’t see proof of it.
The same strategy is used by music critics like myself, or those in the marketing departments of music labels. They’ll tell you that cutting-edge artists, and grooundbreaking sounds are just waiting to break out and they’ve amassed millions. But everybody’s elbowing themselves for Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney tickets.
If you want proof of just how little demand there is to change things that sound positively fantastic, just listen to the fun, roots-inspired “Tryna Get Home” by Towne & Stevens. The Blind Melon members are still hippies at heart and still listening, by the sounds of it, to The Grateful Dead and music of the sort. The results are as convincing as ever, though. The revolution will take a while, don’t worry!
