You know what they say about 20th records…….well actually you probably don’t, because few artists ever reach that particular milestone. Well John Hiatt has always had a way of making the difficult look easy. His career now spans 40 years and includes a Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting from the Americana Music Association, a couple Grammy nods, and a dedicated fan base. All of which belies the rough road that has been Hiatt’s career. He penned his first Top 40 Hit in 1973 (“Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here” by Three Dog Night), but then, over the next dozen or so years, Hiatt got kicked around and then dropped from Epic, MCA, and finally Geffen records. By the mid 1980’s he was battling alcoholism and a personal life spinning out of control, but in 1985 Hiatt entered rehab and in 1986 re-married. The following year would see the release of his breakthrough record, Bring the Family. The album was Hiatt’s first to reach the Billboard Charts and featured an all star backing band of Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums. The album also featured what may be his best known song “Have A Little Faith In Me.†The years since have been good to Mr. Hiatt with rave reviews, steady sales (though never as big as the record labels may have liked), and Hiatt covers by the who’s who of rock and roll, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt (“Thing Called Loveâ€), Eric Clapton, B.B. King (“Riding with the Kingâ€), Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy (“Feels Like Rainâ€), Jimmy Buffett, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rosanne Cash, Jewel, Aaron Neville, and the list goes on.
Though Hiatt has never achieved the big commercial success on the major labels, since the year 2000 he has recorded some of his best work on well established indie labels, first Vanguard and now New West records. Last year’s The Open Road blew me away and re-introduced me to Hiatt. After delving deeper into the Hiatt discography, I feel like I’ve joined a religion. The delivery of Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns into my inbox has caused me to practically weep. It’s really not fair for an artist to have been recording 40 years, written nearly as many transcendent songs, and TO STILL be writing and recording songs this good.
The opening “Damn This Town†is an electrified blues romp that should turn Eric Clapton green with envy. My personal favorites, however, are the love songs (“I Love that Girl†and “Don’t Wanna Leave You Nowâ€). This preference may be a product of my own recent marriage, but both songs are sublime. There is quite a bit of variety however, as Hiatt produces several songs with classic motifs. “Detroit Made†is a great ode to the 225 car (I’m sure car people will understand the reference more so than me). “Train to Birmingham†is a great train song that sounds like classic Hiatt. “Down Around My Place†will play in the dictionary when you look up ‘the blues’. The record closes with a pair of gorgeous numbers, “Adios to California†and “When New York Had Her Heart Broke,†the latter a sentimental song reaching back to 9/11 and the former a highlight of recent Hiatt shows.
While I could go on all day about the songs, what they are about, what they sound like, etc., but all that fails to really get to the heart of what makes this record and Hiatt in general so damn great. The genius of Hiatt, both as a songwriter and as a recording artist, is how everything fits together perfectly. When you need a strong acoustic guitar, it is there. When a string section would take the song to the next level, it appears. When Hiatt needs to lean into a lyric and go slightly higher than comfortable, he does.
As far as music, lyrics and recording working so seamlessly together, the only comparison I can manage is The Band. Few artists manage to get rock and roll so right and riveting.
It may just be the glow of having a new record from one of your favorite artists, but I seriously can’t recommend this one enough.
RIYL: America, Twang, Ville
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd