Americana Music Reviews

 

Rodney Hayden
The Real Thing
Rosetta Records

by Jud Block

Judging by the press material, a lot is expected of Rodney Hayden. Names like "Waylon Jennings," "George Jones," "Hank Sr.," and "George Straight" are dropped like criminal charges against professional athletes and movie stars. And the list of the people who are doing the expecting is equally impressive. Robert Earl Keen signed him to his label, Rosetta Records, and was so taken with Hayden that he made Hayden's debut Rosetta's inaugural release and Keen served as the executive producer for the disc. Tony Brown, credited with discovering such peripheral artists as Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, and Nancy Griffith, liked Rodney's sound so much he personally produced three of the tracks on the CD. But such comparisons and references, especially when placed upon the shoulders and ego of a 22-year-old, often lead to little else besides Forbertian disappointment and an unenviable intimacy with Betty Ford. Hell, even the title of Hayden's disc seems like the cruel set-up to an even crueler fall; unless, of course, you can live up to the hype, or at least come close. And Rodney Hayden easily manages the latter while toeing the line dangerously close to the former on The Real Thing.

"Potential" is the word that kept running through my head as I listened to this CD. Rodney Hayden has a voice that's unexpected from the Southwestern young Republican photo of him that graces the cover. It's like a combination between Charlie Robison and Henry Paul (Blackhawk), with a timbre and tone much more mature than his years. Of the eleven tracks, Hayden co-wrote seven (which may already be more than George Straight has written in his entire career), so he is not merely a singing head, the creativity is there. He also displays a talent for choosing interesting cover material, "The Real Thing" (Chip Taylor), "Black Rose" (Billy Joe Shaver), "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" (Tom Waits), and "Tears Only Run One Way" (Robbie Fulks), which evinces a taste in music that goes beyond the usually narrow confines of mainstream country. Overall, his sound resides somewhere between the classic country of the '70s and the current ad nauseum hat acts, but on a song like "The Real Thing," a great song about musical legitimacy and giving credit to the innovative artists who deserve it instead of the epigones who have received it, it's obvious Mr. Hayden has more in common with George Jones than Kenny Chesney.

I want the real thing
Give me the real thing
Make it loud, I'll make you proud
Of the songs they'd sing
I don't want you under my roof
With your 86 proof
Watered down 'til it tastes like tea
You're gonna pull my strings
Make it the real thing for me

The next song I have to admit I think was something of a miscalculation. It is a remake of "Black Rose." There are just certain songs that have been done definitively, and this is one of them; of course, there's the possibility that it will get a younger audience to look into who Billy Joe Shaver is and, along the way, discover Waylon Jennings as well as a few other honky tonk heroes. But Hayden quickly redeems himself on the original song "Tryin' to Find Myself," which is about the proverbial search for identity that, if you're lucky, can last a lifetime. And like a lot of the other Hayden originals, it walks a tight line between country, folk, and rock.

Give me a ticket to anywhere
North or South, mister, I don't care
As long as it takes me away from here
And on to someplace else
There's so many sites
That I wanna see
So many things
That I wanna be
Guess that I'm just lookin' for me
Tryin' to find myself

"Heartaches & Highways" quickly became one of my favorite tracks on the CD, mainly because its melody and rhythm reminded me of a cross between Merle Haggard's "My Own Kind of Hat" and, oddly enough, Gordon Lightfoot's "The House You Live In." It's basically a tune about life on the road, but it's damn catchy and will stick in your head like a musical remora.

Heartaches & highways
Motels & cafes
A train whistle blows in the night
Load up, it's gettin' late
Tomorrow's another date
A Silver Eagle takes flight
It's heartaches & highways tonight

To Rodney Hayden's credit, he attempts a variety of styles from roadhouse ballad to what I can only describe as cowboy cabaret-noir on a unique tune entitled "Mighty Lonesome Sound," which if David Lynch ever decided to make a western, would have to be the theme song.

Rodney Hayden is without a doubt an extremely talented new artist and a musician to keep an eye on and an ear open to. Over the past few years there have been a number of musicians and bands that have been touted as being the one or ones who would bridge that gap between the sounds of classic and contemporary country, to no avail. Rodney Hayden comes closer than anyone I've ever heard on The Real Thing, and if he keeps going in the direction he's established, he just may one day be a reference point himself.

*Dust off those old Tony Lamas and two-step it over to www.rodneyhayden.com for tour dates, photos, and music samples.


Contact Jud Block at jud-at-rockzilla.net

 
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