Darrell Scott - "Live in North Carolina" (or why country music doesn't suck)

People, when asked about the types of music they enjoy, often respond, “anything but country (western).” I get this – I’m not crazy about country music either. In general, the sound is a little too polished for my liking and the themes (patriotic hoh-hah, trite proverbs, misogynistic nonsense, and love songs that equate romantic feelings with various machines found on a farm) are hard to relate to. That being said, to characterize an entire genre of music as bad seems shortsighted, especially if one likes ANYTHING (including bluegrass and folk) but country.

I mention the bluegrass and folk because country at it’s best, is a nice hybrid of the two styles of music. Great bluegrass typically means a series of talented musicians taking turns soloing over a catchy little hook, punctuated by a simple chorus. Folk places more of an emphasis on great songwriting, and when done right, is full of soul. Both genres tend to be a little rough around the edges. That rawness and honesty, the heart of both styles, is what seems to be missing from country music so often. Not always though.

My brother got me into a guy named Darrell Scott – for those that think they hate country music, I implore you to listen to his, “Live In North Carolina” CD. It’s a prime example of country music done right (and live music done right, for that matter). Darrell Scott is one hell of a guitar player and has a voice powerful enough to match. I have another (solo) live show of Scott’s and he shreds on a few of the songs; clearly he has the ability to play a lot notes in a little time. On this disc, his guitar is a bit more tasteful. He picks his spots and lets the beautiful tone of his guitar do most of the work. In the Office writers’ room there’s a running (half-serious) joke during rewrites: a cut is as good as a joke (after all, brevity is the soul of wit, right?). The principle seems to hold true in music. There’s a time and a place for showing off and playing a lot of notes, but sometimes the song is found in the notes not played. Chris Thile, the mandolin player in Nickel Creek, is arguably the fastest, most technically proficient mandolinist in the world; no one plays faster. But for my money, I’ll take David Grisman any day. Grisman, a prodigy in his own right, doesn’t quite have the chops of Thile, but he’s tasteful; his sound never overwhelms your ears. Scott’s choices on this album are the same way. It’s clear he’s good, but he doesn’t have to hit you over the head with his ability. He plays guitar alongside the thundering upright bass of Danny Thompson and the impeccable drumming of Kenny Malone. Both musicians are solid, talented, been around a long time, kind of guys.

The album isn’t perfect. I tend to only listen to the first seven (of nine) tracks. There’s a spoken word poem on “River Take Me” that’s so cheesy I cringe every time I hear it. And some of the lyrics are kind of “meh.” Still, there are two tracks that I think everyone should hear:

“Helen of Troy, PA” – is rip-roaring tale of two high school kids who lose their virginity to a recently divorced “cougar”… at the same time. The song is fun, the guitar is great, and I’d be shocked to hear a better song about someone getting deflowered.

“You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” – is the haunting, epic tale, about various generations of family that can’t quite escape the sad fate of the mining town they live in. It paints a sad, soulful picture of Appalachian life. It also happens (to date) to be my favorite country song.

Darrell Scott - scroll down to listen to “Helen of Troy, PA”