Review Summary: The stock example of an excellent Americana record in 2021
Singer-songwriter James McMurtry operates in the same country/folk/Americana space occupied by such figures as John Hiatt, Robert Earl Keen, and the late great John Prine. These men have acquired revered reputations within smaller audiences and among critics (and in the case of Prine, true status as a legend). McMurtry himself is younger than the other three mentioned, but is now fifty-nine and with his latest album,
The Horses And The Hounds , has confidently demonstrated that he should be regarded as both an elder statesman and the mark to beat within the contemporary scene. While often low-key, the songs here remarkably reveal McMurtry’s quiet mastery of his material.
Discussion of this record can’t proceed without an ode to the opener, “Canola Fields”. In a little less than five minutes, McMurtry fuses everything great about this brand of Americana into an understated all-time classic tune. The combination of jangling guitar, nostalgic and deeply touching lyrics which feel true to one’s very bones, and the desperate sing-along chorus leave nothing more to ask for. While this is the best song on offer here, it’s to the album’s great credit that several other contenders come close to its quality.
The second song, “If It Don’t Bleed” provides a better preview for the rest of the album, more of a firecracker country-rock track. Indeed, most of the songs here lean harder towards roots and blues rock than one might expect, although country and folk are clearly present as well, and there’s a satisfying variety within the tracklist. The punchy title track and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call”, which approaches the ever-dangerous territory of country-rap but ends up being impressively entertaining, are some of the more sonically vibrant offerings. Throughout, the lyrics are top-notch, ranging from more intimate character portraits like the heart-wrenching “Jackie” to the biting social commentary of “Operation Never Mind”, and finishing up with the potent finality of “Blackberry Winter”.
In the chorus of “If It Don’t Bleed”, McMurtry sings “I can share my bread and wine, I come from another time”. Indeed, aging and the wisdom that comes with it is a common theme which pops up regularly throughout
The Horses And The Hounds . This sense of gravitas carries McMurtry throughout this album as he casually excels at whatever musical corner he chooses to explore with each tune. It’s rarely flashy, but impressive nonetheless. Like some of his alt-country peers, McMurtry is able to believably cultivate the image of a dusty troubadour out of Western myth while also referencing spending time in Brooklyn “before it went hipster” in “Canola Fields” and off-handedly disparaging “Fox News fiction” in “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call”. In the deeply segmented modern USA, this sort of wide appeal to both rural and urban dwellers is a rare thing, and given its quality, this is an album which merits widespread attention. That said, there’s a long track record of McMurtry and his compatriots crafting great music and continuing to toil in the underground, so don’t hold your breath.
