Scroll down for Kelly Hogan review

Tim Easton
The Truth About Us

Release date: Jan 23, 2001

New West Records

It doesn't take long for Tim Easton's concise songwriting, Joe Chiccarelli's lively production, and supporting members of Wilco's jaunty vibe to come together nicely on Easton's new record. The opening track, a lovely ballad about timing called "Half a Day," begins sparingly with an Easton vocal and understated piano. Before long, the tale takes off, as a pedal steel creeps in and sets up the payoff: "I woke up on the coldest day/I've ever known/I never strayed all summer long/But you weren't alone/It's just my luck/I'll never miss you again."

On "Get Some Lonesome," Easton's acoustic sets the tone before a harp rip straight off Springsteen's "Nebraska" introduces one of the prettiest songs you're bound to hear all year. "He's a shadow but he wants to be real/A shadow but he wants to be real." It's no wonder Easton draws comparisons to legends such as John Prine and Townes Van Zandt. He writes songs that invite you into his world and make you forget about your own for awhile.

In "Happy Now," the buoyancy of the melody makes it easy to overlook the message of the song, in which the singer asks sarcastically, "Are you happy now?" in response to a number of drastic scenarios. In one, based on a true story, a boy leaps to his death, hoping his loss will affect SOMEONE. "Young man on the roof took his life today/And he left his parents' bible inside anyway/He wanted them to miss him as part of the plan/But nobody ever even gave a damn." It's then that the optimistic-sounding chorus jumps in, leaving the listener confused yet enthralled.

Two of the album's highlights appear toward the end. The first, "I Would Have Married You," begins with a loop which turns into a dige-like beauty of love lost . The album closes with "Don't Walk Alone," a song written by J.P. Olsen, and features perhaps the only truly upbeat words spoken on the record. A lovely ballad, the song features Mark Olson and Victoria Williams on backing vocals. The two come in on the chorus and turn the song into a slow-building drama akin to Springsteen's "Racing in the Street." It's majestic, ending the record on a high note, and readying you for a return visit you're sure to welcome.

______________________________________________

Kelly Hogan

Christmas Party @ the Hideout
12.22.2000

Kelly Hogan is right at home at the Hideout. You'll occasionally find her behind the bar mixing drinks. She is firmly ensconced in Chicago's "alt-country/No Depression/" scene, which includes other notables such as Neko Case, Jon Langford, and Sally Timms. So soon after moving north from Atlanta, she has found a city that can provide an outlet for her astonishing vocal delivery and breadth of style.

So it came as no surprise when Ms. Hogan took the stage at the Hideout and belted out her songs with all the confidence and bravado of Kitty Wells in her prime.

Beginning with a few songs off her 2000 release, "Beneath the Country Underdog," including "I Don't Believe in You" (co-written with her guitarist Andy Hopkins) "Mighty Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (Johnny Paycheck), and "I Still Can't Believe You're Gone" (Willie Nelson), Hogan found her stride early on and played off Hopkins's energy. One of the high points came pretty early with an inspired take on the Magnetic Fields's "Papa was a Rodeo," a song featured on that band's "69 Love Songs," as well as on Hogan's record.

Hogan's version of "Rodeo" is truly gorgeous. The song comes to a crescendo after the line "I never stuck around long enough for a one night stand," then Hogan's voice, as ethereal as they come, delivers the payoff line: "Before you kiss me you should know/Papa was a rodeo." Wow.

Also offered was a tender reading of Curtis Mayfield's "Let's Do It Again," Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'," and the Rudolph song (as performed by Clarisse), "There's Always Tomorrow."

Hopkins didn't shy away from the mike either, as he delivered a straight take on Elton John's "Levon" (and it played well, despite an awkward few seconds when the crowd waited to decide whether this was a tongue-in-cheek cover). Late in the set, Hogan did a Randy Newman song ("So Hard Living Without You"), which only further demonstrated the range of her talent and influences.

______________________________________________

Lane Campbell: December, 2000

About Lane

E-mail Lane

______________________________________________