Acuff does his own thing
The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint, Medford, Mass., July 17, 2024
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
With Zach Top, Ian Munsick and now Colby Acuff making waves, there is something to be said for the northwestern corner of our country with Acuff from Idaho, Munisck from Wyoming and Top from eastern Washington.
In his Boston area debut, Acuff proved that he was a keeper in offering a few new songs on "American Son," out Aug. 31, a bunch of music from his very strong major label debut, "Western White Pines" from which almost half the set emanated and several choice covers.
Acuff traversed the traditional country musical landscape with honky tonk, ballads (it didn't get much better than "Western White Pines," an ode to one's home turf) and a few more sounds in between.
Acuff, who played acoustic guitar, was a commanding presence with his vocal delivery.
Acuff's "One Day at a Time" summed up where he is. He sang, "And if you don't roll the dice, then how the hell you gonna win?/Or so I'm learnin', one day at a time." After putting out a few indie albums, Acuff took his chances with a major label. It seems to be working just fine.
Acuff had a few smart choice covers – an excellent cover Waylon Jennings' Outlaw Country of "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" with a lot of keyboards from Erik Bowen and closing out the night with his up to snuff take of Jamie Johnson's "In Color."
Enough can't be said about Acuff's backing band. Said to be a bunch of jazz players, they sure didn't act like it. Country seemed to be their calling.
Drummer Josh Hebert was steady and sure handed throughout with his ultra-steady beat throughout. Pedal steel player Kyler Daron was often a key ingredient playing an instrument unfortunately heard all too infrequently in country music day. If wondering if the band was really into it this night, one needed to only check out bassist Stefan Jarocki.
Bottom line, there was a lot to like about the band.
But ultimately, the focus was on Acuff, and he underscored the fact that the recent spate of Northwest country artists was more than welcome. He's doing it his way, a sort of modern Outlaw Country bent. That was made clear on "Outlaw In Me":
"Well, I know I'm no different, I'm just a troubadour looking for
Oh, a rhyme or a reason that I think is worth rhyming for
Say, I'm too Idaho for Texas and I'm too Texas for Tennessee
So, I'll do my own thing
Hey, there's that outlaw in me"
With performers like Acuff, keep 'em coming. No matter or maybe especially if they're from the west.
Matt Koziol, a Nashville singer by way of New Jersey, opened with generally satisfying set. Playing with acoustic guitar in hand, Kozoil had a very full had commanding voice with songs to boot. The title track of his latest, "Last of the Old Dogs," an ode to his dog, who's now in heaven, was a highlight. In a bit of a self-deprecating mood, Koziol could have benefitted from less chatter because his music more than held up.
©Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • countrystandardtime@gmail.com
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