​Hayes Carll (from the album We’re Only Human

​Hayes Carll (from the album We’re Only Human

​Hayes Carll (from the album We’re Only Human available on Hwy 87 Records/Thirty Tigers) (by Brian Rock)
 
Hayes Carll dispenses his trademark wit and a bit of absolution on his eighth album, We’re Only Human. Probing the faults and foibles of humanity, Carll points out the pointlessness of our pride. Drawing on the influences of his songwriting heroes from Hank Wiliams to Randy Newman to Ray Wylie Hubbard, he pens poetic ponderings on life’s purpose. With a voice seasoned by good whiskey and bad decisions, he sings a cycle of pride and redemption.
Hayes Carll captures the easy flowing sound of Laurel Canyon on the title track. Contemplating life’s struggles, he sings ‘whether you give up or give it your best, it’s hard not to feel like you’re failing the test’. Like playing a game where you don’t know the rules, he describes our human plight as ‘tragedies happen. Mistakes will get made. We love and we cry, we stumble and try to not feel so afraid’. Piano and steel guitar provide a suitably melancholy backdrop for Carll’s musings. Every line is a stinging indictment of human insecurity, fear, and obtuseness but despite our shared faults, he advises us not to be too hard on ourselves or others, because ‘we’re only human, nothing more. Just a few million years from that monkey business and a little bit of stardust before’. So, if we feel alone or afraid, he reminds us that’s part of what unites us in this extended family of humanity.
“Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle)” continues Hayes Carll’s bleak assessment of humanity with a fiddle laced Country critique of human greed. Considering insider trading, poaching, and the personal politics of relationships, Carll is compelled to ask ‘are you sure we’re really all in this together?’. Clearly disappointed with his species, Carll decides he’s going to live life on his own terms on the James McMurtry-inspired Country/Folk of “What I Will Be”. Then, capturing the Western Blues of Linda Ronstadt’s “High Sierra” he shares a vision of hope for his future on “One Day”. Channeling his inner Randy Newman, Hayes Carll learns to live in the moment on “High”. Having found a level of peace, he decides to “Stay Here Awhile”. The Dylanesque Folk rhythms match Carll’s placid frame of mind as he sings ‘letting my mind go where it wants to go. I’m not in a hurry. No reason to worry. Nothing I gotta know. I spent so long climbing the hill, but I only started moving when I got still’. Learning to tune out others and live by his own rules, Hayes Carll has found a measure of peace. But the price of that peace is loneliness. 
His solitude is soon shattered by the Ragtime strains of “Good People (Thank Me)”. Like a previous album song, “Another Like You”, Hayes is finally confronted with an equal and opposite version of himself. Setting the stage, he sings ‘there was a flag. There was a rally. There was a lady. There was a guy. They picked a team and started yelling. It made them both feel sad inside’. Seeing others make sweeping judgments triggers an inkling of guilt for his own past judgments. Carll continues the story, ‘so later on, when it was over, they found each other and apologized. Then they went out and got some supper and fell in love to their surprise’. By meeting face to face with the person, instead of just dealing in caricatures and stereotypes; he is able to find common ground. Bringing the point home, Carll sings ‘so thank God for good people. Thank people for being kind. Thank you for doing your thing. And thank me for doing mine’. It turns out that it’s the combination of our similarities AND differences that makes human interaction so meaningful. So, do your thing, but remember to respect those that do their thing. Finally seeing the light, Carll sings the Country ballad “Making Amends” to atone for his past. Summing up his experiences, Hayes Carll offers up the Country Gospel “May I Never”. Featuring a guest list of virtually every Texas musician who wasn’t currently on tour, the song is a Hank Williams-inspired hymn to finding yourself by losing yourself. Releasing his ego, Hayes Carll sings ‘I used to think that I knew the way. No need for higher power. No time to bow and pray. May I never forsake you again’. A beautifully inspiring message, Carll continues, ‘I’ll find it within and I’ll find it up above. I’ll walk through this world holding on to faith and love’. Despite our faults, the God we seek lives within us. And if God lives within us, then God lives within every other person we meet. It’s a simple but profound truth that’s been oft repeated and oft ignored. Hayes Carll brings this truth to life through the wit and warmth of these songs and through the enlightened optimism of this coda. (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of Hayes Carll from AMAZON
Please go to the Hayes Carll website for more purchase and artist information