Review: New Opus from Tommy Talton Rocks

Tommy Talton

Somewhere South of Eden

(Indie)

I have been a fan of Tommy Talton since his days with Cowboy back during the seventies. The Capricorn Records recording band was among my Top- Ten favorite bands of the decade, along with The Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band, and their song “Please Be with Me” remains one of my favorite songs to this very day.

When Tommy Talton began releasing a string of solo albums, I was always first in line to hear his new music. It was never disappointing, ever. With Somewhere South of Eden, Talton ups the ante. This is one of his best efforts yet, from the beautiful and melodic title track to the mesmerizing “When I Fall Asleep Again.” I remember hearing the latter on a demo several years ago, and falling in love with the song back then. Tommy has a way of delivering a ballad that is unparalleled.

On Somewhere South of Eden, Talton plays all of the guitar parts and handles vocals, accompanied by drummer Bryan Owings [Tony Joe White, Buddy Miller, Emmy Lou Harris] and bassist Chris Donohue [Emmy Lou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Alison Krauss]. The basic tracks were recorded by David Pinkston, in Hendersonville, Tn.

Other all-star players include keyboardists Chuck Leavell [Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Allman Bros.]; Spooner Oldham [Muscle Shoals “Swamper”]; Ike Stubblefield [Motown star organist]; Steve Conn [singer-songwriter, Sonny Landreth, Bonnie Raitt]; John Ginty [soloist and organist with Dixie Chicks]; Kenny Head [John Barry, Georgia Satellites, Tommy Talton Band]; along with Jeff Mosier on banjo, [Blueground Undergrass, Col. Bruce Hampton]. Friends Randall Bramblett [Cowboy, Sea Level] and Tom Ryan [Shawn Mullins] add saxophones. Vocalist Deborah Reece adds soulful harmonies to three of the tracks here, Markham White [engineer/mixer for the album] adds guitar parts on two of the tracks.

The album gets underway with a rocking “I Can’t Believe it,” fueled by horns and a celebratory lyric and featuring a smooth sax solo from Randall Bramblett. “Hard Situation” is a heartfelt blues that is enhanced by the accordion mastery of Steve Conn. Chuck Leavell – probably my all-time favorite pianist-  adds piano on “Poblano,” an excellent instrumental that hints at Carlos Santana one minute and Dickey Betts the next. It’s a wonderful guitar song, enhanced by the drumming of David Keith.

Jeff Mosier brings banjo and vocals to the hoedown of “Don’t Go Away,” a true bluegrass surprise that really works well. Kenny Head plays piano on Its Gonna Come Down on You,” a song that features some mighty nice acoustic guitar as well as a rocking electric lead.

            The star power continues with “I Surrender,” a great song about the aftermath of a break up, and the feeling of just giving up and giving in. Tommy brings in more legends, Ike Stubblefield on organ and Spooner Oldham on Wurlitzer piano. Now how much would you pay?

            “Waiting On the Saints” is a serious groove that is meant to be played loud. Turn it up to eleven. It’s a goodie. And as I said in the beginning, the title track, “Somewhere South of Eden,” is another of Tommy’s beautiful ballads, with crying slide guitar and lyrics that could have easily been penned by Bob Dylan. This one is one of my favorite tracks on the release, eclipsed only by the aforementioned “When I Fall Asleep Again.”

Throughout all of the songs Talton’s guitar is front and center, shining through like a beacon, whether he is playing electric or acoustic or slide, as on “We Are Calling,” a song on which the slide is the star. Simply astounding.

After half a century of playing, from We The People to Cowboy to his solo band, Tommy Talton is still making music that is both viable and extremely enjoyable. Talton continues to age like the finest wine. Drink him in.

-       Michael Buffalo Smith

Country Music Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2017

 The Country Music Hall of Fame proudly announces the Class of 2017.  The class features the great Jerry Reed, Alan Jackson and Don Schlitz.

​Jerry Reed

b. Atlanta, Georgia, March 20, 1937; d. September 1, 2006

Jerry Reed made indelible marks on country music as a recording artist, a songwriter, and a virtuoso guitarist.

Reed’s guitar work was marked by syncopation and complexity, while his songwriting and stage persona conveyed strutting wit and backwoods intelligence. Raised in Georgia, he moved to Nashville in 1962, taking jobs as a session guitarist and writing songs for country heavies including Porter Wagoner. Encouraged by guitar great Chet Atkins, Reed developed an instantly recognizable and idiosyncratic guitar style that suited humor-filled compositions including “Guitar Man” and “Amos Moses.” He and Atkins won a 1970 Grammy for instrumental album Me and Jerry, and Reed followed that a year later with a Grammy for country male vocal performance on “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot.” A third Grammy, this one for country instrumental performance, came in 1993 for another duo effort with Atkins.

Other major Reed hits include “Lord, Mr. Ford,” “East Bound and Down,” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” He also won positive notice for his acting roles in films including W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Smokey and the Bandit.

“Every move he made was to entertain, and make the world more fun,” said Reed devotee Brad Paisley. “Because he was such a great, colorful personality with his acting and songs and entertaining, sometimes people didn’t even notice that he was just about the best guitarist you’ll ever hear.”

Don Schlitz

b. Durham, North Carolina, August 29, 1952

Don Schlitz is among the most impactful and eloquent songwriters in country music history.

Schlitz’s first hit came in 1978, when Kenny Rogers recorded “The Gambler,” an epic composition that garnered a Grammy Award and that became both a signature song for Rogers and a highlight of country music’s modern era. Schlitz went on to co-write major hits including “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “When You Say Nothing at All,” “Strong Enough to Bend,” “Old School,” “Gimme Wings,” “Deeper Than the Holler,” “I Take My Chances,” “I Feel Lucky,” “Learning to Live Again,” and many more. His songs have been recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame members Alabama, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap,

George Strait, and Randy Travis.

Elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1993 and to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, Schlitz is known for songs that brim with wisdom and empathy. For decades, those songs have been heard during regular appearances at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, where Schlitz co-created the now-prevalent “in-the-round” format with collaborators Fred Knobloch, Paul Overstreet, and Thom Schuyler.

​

Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson

b. Newnan, Georgia, October 17, 1958​

As a songwriter, recording artist, and performer, Alan Jackson brought tradition-drenched country music into the new century.​

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jackson has sold more than sixty million albums and notched twenty-six Billboard #1 country singles. His often-autobiographical songs are marked by humility, humor, and eloquent simplicity. He is a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, and his plainspoken “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” won a Best Country Song Grammy.​

Jackson revived songs recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame members Tom T. Hall, George Jones, and Don Williams, and he wrote gems including “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” “Livin’ on Love,” and “Remember When,” all of which mined personal experience in communicating communal truth. In a recording career that began in 1989, he has lived by a simple edict: “Keep it country.” ​

To read my archived interview with Jerry Reed, see my book My Kind of Country!