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James McMurtry (from the album The Horses and The Hounds available on New West Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
What do you listen for in a new album? The answers differ, some artists are fine storytellers while others are masters of the riff and groove. James McMurtry navigates both of those avenues in his songs yet the big take-away from the A-list songwriter are the characters that walk the tales. On The Horses and The Hounds, his first studio release in seven years, a man bids goodbye in the sad reflections of “Vaquero”. The album introduces “Jackie”, catching the long-distance trucker in a quieter time at home, waiting for the dispatcher to call and tending her horses before heading out for her last run. Recorded at Jackson Browne’s Groove Masters studio in Santa Monica, California, James McMurtry feels the Pacific pull in the songs as well as the sound stating that ‘there’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record. The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire’. The album begins its song cycle with a road tale, a troubadour’s story of a faraway friend spreading like the “Canola Fields” passing outside the car window. The men and women passing through the stories of James McMurtry wear their own skin however the storylines on The Horses and The Hounds bear an occasional resemblance to the man behind the pen. A traveling musician writes a letter home in “What’s the Matter” and self-realization provides a full disclosure rant for “If It Don’t Bleed”. The Horses and The Hounds title track grinds gears with each gritty guitar chop as a driver asks for a minute to get his rig turned around and “Operation Never Mind” is a wake-up call to watch the big picture rather than a small screen television. The soundtrack for The Horses and The Hounds is a rootsy Rock’n’Roll, the rhythm of the record a constant motion machine. A bad day spits out a non-stop tirade as James McMurtry drags the drama into a one liner for life’s woes…”I keep losing my glasses’. (by Danny McCloskey) Listen and buy the music of James McMurtry from AMAZON Please visit the James McMurtry website for more information
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