David Childers and The Serpents (from the album Melancholy Angel

David Childers and The Serpents (from the album Melancholy Angel

David Childers and The Serpents (from the album Melancholy Angel available on Ramseur Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
David Childers seems to come across as an unassuming kind of guy, given his tasteful melodies and easily engaging manner. Nevertheless, that assumption belies that fact that he’s a man of great accomplishment, having earned a solid reputation not only as a musician, but also as a poet, historian, painter, and attorney. Based in North Carolina, he’s firmly entrenched in Folk and Country musical traditions, but his songs often explore a more complex side of the human psyche, especially as it relates to religion, spirituality and the conflicting forces that can steer people towards both desire and desperation.

That said, David Childers and The Serpents new album, Melancholy Angel, isn’t nearly as intimidating as the above description might imply. The melodies are mostly of an agreeable variety, and even those that seem embroiled in a particularly precarious scenario, come across as easy on the ears — the catchy opening offering “Kiss Me Like Judas” and the easy sway of the title track being two of the more obvious examples.
 
Likewise, “Never Take the Place of Your Man” and “The Married Woman” — the latter featuring some frenzied fiddle — are simply basic straight-ahead Rockers. “Claudette and Ennis” and “Easy to Be Free” make for generally amenable narratives, belying any sort of obvious inference or intent.

Nevertheless, certain songs are said to purvey some sense of gravitas. The plodding pacing and spoken intro of “Like Some Old Sad Song” comes across with more than a hint of regret and remorse. “Blankets” and “Blueberries” are solemn, down-home ballads that reflect Childer’s rustic and rootsy environs. Still, one can’t negate the hopeful feelings infused within the steady strum accompanying “I Have Found My Love Today”, “Books Are Books”, “All Our Good Times Are Through”, and “Let’s Just Let It Be”, the telling titles of the latter two tracks aside.
 
Granted, there are hints of melancholia found here, and clearly David Childers and The Serpents can’t claim to be an angel in any regard. Yet even a Melancholy Angel possesses a certain charm, and in that sense. one might say this one soars on a steady flight. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of David Childers and The Serpents from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the David Childers website