Bryan Hayes is thankful. Thankful for his heroes (in 2012 he released ‘This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark’, which won Americana Album of the Year), thankful for simple, honest to goodness American small town life (as evidenced in the track ‘Small Town Amazing Grace’), thankful for God (who appears regularly across his latest album ‘Farther Down The Line’), and thankful for the career his fans have afforded him. It’s a mind-set that was instilled more prominently in him than ever before while he was busy becoming a hero himself. In 2009 and 2010 Bryan was deployed to Iraq and was forced to set music aside, but the experience gave him perspective and when he began writing once more while sit situated in Mosul, Iraq, he rediscovered a fresh desire for songwriting. After returning to his home of Memphis, Tennessee, he jumped straight back into the studio, and 2015 finds him releasing this third new album since that time, possibly even more confident, even more insightful than ever before.
Tracks like lead single ‘I Wanna Run’ and ‘Our Love Is Like A Tractor Tire’ are simple, joyful vignettes, but they exude such a sense of fun and freedom without being cliché or unoriginal that they become perfect driving listening (cranked up, of course). The latter in particular has such an irresistible honky tonkin’, swampy melody and arrangement, too, that the cute, near-novelty metaphor finds itself too much at home to become fatigued. Settled neatly into a broad heartland country rock style that at times recalls Tom Petty (‘Let’s Ride’), Bryan does find time for more traditional numbers as mentioned above, and ‘Tangle Me Up In You’ has an old-school folky vibe not too removed from the likes of Old Crow Medicine Show’s ‘Wagon Wheel’. He also explores with multiple styles on ‘Woman (You’re Amazing To Me)’, beginning with an electronically-produced hip hop drum loop before placing it underneath a pretty, atmospheric guitar line and a beautiful melody for a lovely heartfelt love song. However, there are still surprises round the corner as harmonica and dobro join the mix for the solo, a great little touch that helps to set the song apart.
Still, there is care taken to pay heed to musical inspirations Guy Clark and John Prine, and we can hear them strongly in tracks like the bluesy ‘Cool Summer Morning’, “I saw the Devil in his big black Cadillac, when I waved he waved back, he had a cigarette hanging from his lips and a shotgun loaded on his lap,” Bryan sings, with a swagger we haven’t heard yet on this record. He finds the honesty of his heroes invigorating and it encourages him to cover faith on this politics on this album, something he hasn’t dared do before. ‘In The USA’ begins with a thumping beat and a catchy guitar riff that might indicate a fun, easy-going summery track, but instead it takes the opportunity to hit home a couple of points about the nature of freedom, the diminishing stature of faith in American culture and the way that politics has a habit of screwing things up. It would be easy for fans to sing along without quite being aware of what they were singing, and that’s part of the powerful subtlety of it.
Bryan tackles yet more deep and dark material on closer ‘Long Black Veil’, telling the story of a man who was sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit, but who didn’t speak up at the trial because he was sleeping with his best friend’s wife at the time of the murder. It follows the loss and regret of the woman left behind, visiting his grave in secret. Still, while atmospheric and with hints of melancholy, we don’t feel like the darkness really perpetrates the music in the way it does with other artists, and overall the mood never truly drops throughout the record, making it versatile for listening in all kinds of situations. When Bryan set out to write this record he was just writing the best songs he could, but what comes out of it is a focus on real life, stories and the importance of his own values. With a renewed attention to who he truly is as an artist, it’s no wonder Bryan is thankful. It’s a great record, and it sounds like he’s right where he belongs. I’d be thankful too.
