Something about the hard drinking, hard times, and heartbreak of classic country just sounds better when it's coming from a relative unknown artist, doesn't it? It's just so easy to picture Clayton hitting the bar after playing a phenomenal set at a sparsely attended honkey tonk, knocking back whiskey, smoking Lucky Strikes, and getting wistful about the latest woman to have passed through his life the same way he passes through town after town. Essentially, I'm imagining his life to very closely resemble the plot of Crazy Heart.
This is a man whose song, "Ladies Love Outlaws", a hit for Waylon Jennings, was at least partially responsible for the term "outlaw country." Every song on his early albums is an absolute gem, and the fact that he never got famous is as heartbreaking as the words to "Bottles of Booze". His second album, Border Affair, is possibly even better than this one, in that some of its songs add Thin Lizzy-style twin guitar leads to the mix, but since it's already readily available at the Rockasteria blog, I'll contribute this nevertheless excellent record to the blogosphere.
Track listing:
1. Carnival Balloon
2. Bottles of Booze
3. Henry McCarty
4. New York City Suite 409
5. Mama, Spend the Night with Me
6. Red Dancing Dress
7. Danger
8. Lonesome Whiskey
9. Ladies Love Outlaws
Set me up, bartender, with as much fun as I can use
That's right. What, you think I like every single type of music in the world EXCEPT country?
ReplyDeleteThis blog never fails to amaze me. MUCH APPRECIATED!
ReplyDeleteDude, you should totally post more country! Being a neophyte to the genre I would greatly benefit from your views. Surely I'm not the only one. Thanks for this Lee Clayton.
ReplyDeletethis is a great blog. thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat fuggin blawg!!! Any chance of a re-upload of this record? Danke in advance!
ReplyDelete