What It Is (Dualtone, 2019)
Hayes Carll
Reviewed by Robert Loy
In fact, this CD could be subtitled "How Hayes Got His Groove Back." It's not that he shies away from controversial topics. He's as angry and confused by the way the world is going as so many of us are. Those feelings are probably best exemplified an the rollicking, fiddle-forward "Times Like These" lamenting the divisiveness in the not-that-united United States today, and how hard it is to stop the ugliness of nowadays from turning us into something we're not. It is anything but hopeless. The fact that he rhymes "times like these" with "joie de vivre" tells you all you need to know.
Also of note is the pep talk Carll gives to himself on "If I May Be So Bold," where he promises us "There's a whole world out there waiting / Full of stories to be told / I'll heed the call and tell 'em all / If I may be so bold."
Which may be the best musical news so far of 2019.
CDs by Hayes Carll
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