|
|
Music Review: "Home Away" by Will Kimbrough
How have I never heard of this guy? Will Kimbrough has been recording for many years now, first as frontman for Will
and the Bushmen, then in a band called the Bis-quits, and now finally on his own. "Home Away" is his second solo
album and it is one of the better records I have heard in quite some time.
I first heard of Kimbrough when he recently did a club tour with Bill Mallonee, former front man of the Vigilantes of
Love. While their styles are vastly different, their stories are similar. Years of struggling to make the music
they love with no commercial success to show for it.
"Home Away" is a wonderful pastiche of popular music, bringing in touches of everything from the Beatles to Tom Petty to
Wilco. The record kicks off with the lilting blues of "Piece of Work" in which a distorted vocal from Kimbrough demonstrates
that even after all these years, Kimbrough isn't finished becoming. This is a great song with a creative lyric, full of
lines like:
I'm a piece of work I'm an angels fiend
Bathed in lavender and gasoline
Scared brave, shallow in an ink black well
Lightly browned in the fires of hell
Wicked, holy, full on fake
Best known for my big mistake
What a great piece of writing... most of the people whose faith I admire have been through the fire and "lightly browned".
Great writing.
"This Modern World" is a catchy song that would fit in great on a radio station daring enough to play music that matters.
In the current postmodern landscape, it is all the more fascinating to hear Kimbrough speak of being too old fashioned
to fit into "this modern world".
Track three is another highlight. "Champion of the World" has the potential to be a bit sappy, but Kimbrough sings it with
such a heartbroken snarl that it comes off as totally believable.
Other great moments come on "Letdown", a song about being away from home for too long, and on "I love my Baby" which wears
its Beatles influence proudly.
Fans of rootsy, honest music with a bit of an edge and thought provoking lyrics would do well to pick up this record.
Review by Greg Adkins
|