A seeming endless wave of folkie singer-songwritery solo dudes (usually) playing guitars have come in the wake of the post-Uncle Tupelo country/rock band movement of the late '90s have come . Without paying close attention, it can be hard to keep up with who's a contender and who's an also-ran; I try and check 'em out if I hear good things via word of mouth, or happen across a stray album stranded somewhere in a bargain bin. Last fall I took a flier on What I discovered was not just another dude-with-guitar but someone who is rapidly becoming a new favorite. For one thing, the bulk of the album features a full band, agreeably mixing country-folk-rock as needed. But even better, repeated spins of Trouble in Mind revealed a batch of songs far above the average, their sharp, evocative imagery often blasting any title-based expectations. "Drunken Poet's Dream" turns out to be about a wild-living muse; "A Lover Like You" a playfully snotty beerhall Dylan put-down/tribute. Even on the songs that perhaps match preconceived expectations a bit more closely, Carll always has a fresh turn of phrase that catches the ear to go along with his expressive, mumbly drawl. At least on this album, he's among that rare breed of songwriters who get compared to Townes Van Zandt and actually can live up to it. And what of "She Left Me For Jesus"? Well, it's actually better than the title, in a way that's likely to make Catholic listeners quite uneasy. Beyond that information, I'll leave the intrigued to discover its awesomeness on his or her own; the song can be heard at Carll's MySpace page. One more referral for further listening: Anyone who's spent a significant amount of time playing music in bars will enjoy Carll's take on the lifestyle, "I Got a Gig." "Lookin' like a homeless Cheers on meth" says so much in so few words. Trouble in Mind is Carll's third album and first released on a major label. His previous disc, 2005's Little Rock, included writing collaborations with heavyweights Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard, and some vocal assistance from Alison Moorer -- pretty cool for a self-released album. Little Rock was a big hit on the national Americana radio chart -- a high hurdle to jump for any self-released music -- and "She Left Me For Jesus" was the Americana Music Association "Song of the Year" for 2008, so the fact that I'd not really heard Carll before seems to be more because I wasn't paying attention than because he wasn't out there to be heard. In a purely technical sense, bonus points are earned because the album's 15 tracks (including one LP-only song) are distributed as three normal-length sides rather than four short ones, always a welcome set-up with new LPs. Also a bonus: it's actually a great pressing, a rarity in my experience with
Vinyl Cave: "Trouble in Mind" by Hayes Carll
