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Hayes Carll
Trouble in Mind
(Lost Highway)
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2009, Volume 16, #6
Written by John Metzger
Thu June 18, 2009, 06:30 AM CDT
Making the transition from an independent act to a major-label player is a
tricky proposition. Such a move is made all the harder when one previously has
collaborated with Guy Clark and been praised by Stephen King, who lately seems
to have become the leading proponent for Texas-bred songwriters. With the
release of his third outing Trouble in Mind, however, Hayes Carll seems
to have survived the journey with his integrity left intact. Although he still
seems to be searching for his own way of expressing himself, he at least has the
wherewithal to know what works and what doesn’t.
Musically speaking, Carll leaves no stone unturned as he strings together all
of the usual suspects: A Lover Like You echoes Bob Dylan’s mid-’60s
output; a cover of Scott Nolan’s Bad Liver and a Broken Heart is etched
from the Rolling Stones’ country-tinged fare; and It’s a Shame sounds
like a collaboration between Steve Earle and The Byrds. Carll seems to be aware
that his arrangements are strikingly derivative, though, and on Trouble in
Mind’s opening cut Drunken Poet’s Dream — which he co-wrote with Ray
Wylie Hubbard — he effectively (and rather humorously) acknowledges and
diminishes the criticism. Not only does the tune feel like a lost outtake from
The Band, but Carll also playfully tucks the title of one of the group’s many
instantly recognizable tracks (The Shape I’m In) into the second verse of
his song.
Carll’s appropriations carry over into his lyrics, too. He clearly owes a
tremendous debt to the likes of Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider, and, of course,
John Prine. Yet, there also is something to be said for the fact that his own
compositions succeed in holding their own, despite being situated next to a
cover of Tom Waits’ I Don’t Wanna Grow Up. Carll isn’t afraid to wade
into the dirt and grime of his characters’ lives, and his keen eye for detailing
their surroundings gives his whiskey-soaked, cigarette-stained, and
mescaline-fueled tales the kind of gritty realism that they need to feel
authentic. Although he quite blatantly may be appropriating material from his
heroes, Carll positively nails everything he swipes, which makes Trouble in
Mind an easy outing to assimilate into any Americana music fan’s repertoire.
If he ever finds a way to merge it all together into something of his own, Carll
surely will have a legion of songwriters echoing him. 
Of Further Interest...
Bob Frank - Red Neck, Blue Collar
Robert Earl Keen - Gravitational Forces
James McMurtry - Childish Things
Trouble in Mind is available from Amazon.
To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2009 The Music Box
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