Grant Langston

aLAbama

Self-released

The Stetson atop Grant Langston’s head on the cover photo, along with the not-so-subtle title screams country music, but there’s a lot more here than those suggest. This veteran, heretofore uncovered by this writer, is no newcomer. This is his tenth album, a mix of contemporary themes and pure honky-tonk, presaging perhaps a revival of the Americana scene in L.A. where it was so vibrant in the ‘90s. (We can only hope). Langston, fortunately is not one to take himself too seriously – “I’m all rough edges and odd ball lyrics…irreverent, loud, and outside the box.” He goes on to say that this is a big friendly album designed for laughing, beer drinking and singalongs.  The zany pool scene on the inside and back jacket imply as much.

A glance at some of the musicians helping him reveals some of the very best that Southern California offers – Ted Russell Kamp (TRK), Carl Byron, Johnny and KP Hawthorn, among them. Langston is also quite versatile in playing guitars, bass, Wurlitzer, and vocals. He recorded in several L.A. studios.

The twangy, radio friendly “Country or Bust” opens, a tone setting raveup imbued by Johnny Hawthorn’s lap steel. “This Old Truck” is set to the theme of many a country song, rife with infectious hooks and another singalong vibe while managing to avoid the tired cliches that often accompany such fare. The backing band adds just the right dose of twang without overdoing it. While those two are contemporary without being annoyingly commercial, “How Much Do You Want?” adheres more closely to tradition, until we’re surprised by TRK’s horns. This one will linger in your head with its indelible melodies and singalong choruses. The syncopated, hand clapped  “Make Your Move” is more of pop rock song that doesn’t live up to the previous three but “Layaway” quickly atones for this slight misstep, a snappy shuffle about the scuffling musician who dreams of a better future – “That fender guitar sure sparkles in the window/Periwinkle telecaster sounds like a dream/the neck pickup coos like a little baby/And single coil bridge sure knows how to twang and scream/Put it on layaway/I ain’t go the scratch today.”

The Beatle-esque “Heavy Load “is rich with background harmonies and soaring melodies. The Hawtthorns assist on the pop-rock “Pure Grain Guarantee” with Johnny’s guitar blazing away. The blistering tempo of “As Is Sale” is a frenetic burner sure to induce toe tapping or maybe even wild dancing. In a nice piece of sequencing Langston tamps down to one of his few ballads with the story song “Singalong.” It’s about the memories than accompany loss, in this case the young man’s father “laying in the ground on the other side of town.”  The poignancy of the song revolves around the son who regrets not getting to know his dad as well as he had wished. His dad, the county Sherriff is described this way, “was cut from an old piece of leather/with a glass of Gistler’s whiskey in his hand/if he ever like me much/he never let it show…/Maybe that was part of his plan…”  Langston struggles somewhat with his vocals here, only adding to the gravitas of the song. Other highlights include “Keep It Coming” and the closer “Corporate Hack,” a familiar theme to Langston who is a CEO of a major company in his ‘day job.’ He quips “Every successful musical artist I’ve met ever met above the age of 40 has multiple business interests…You have to have as many revenue streams as possible and you have to learn how to manage them. Business is a great teacher of those lessons.”

So, there’s a lot more under that ‘hat’ that meets your eyes and ears, as pleasant as the latter is.

Full musician credits – Tony Horkin (drums/percussion), John Ramey (bass), Dan Wistrom (steel guitar), Carl Byron (organ), Darice Bailey (organ/bgv), Ted Russell Kamp (trumpet/trombone), Mark Christian (banjo/electric guitar), Johnny Hawthorn (lap steel guitar), Jonathan Sheldon (fiddle), Emily Zuzik, Kitten Kuroi, Gia Ciambotti & KP Hawthorn (bgv).

• Jim Hynes

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