Comfort is a small town in southwest West Virginia. As the saying goes, it’s a place to be from, not where you want to go. A kid growing up there knows from an early age they want out. But like a socio-economic black hole, that’s easier said than done. Poverty has a way of desensitizing you to opportunity and just making it through the day can be a major victory. That’s the background of where Logan Halstead grew up, and his first full length album, Dark Black Coal, lays bare those obstacles.
As the title indicates, many of the songs on the record tie into the main industry in the area. Coal River comes right out and states, “mining coal ain’t a way to make a life”. The title song steers the sentiment to one’s kids, “just don’t let my children become the victims of the mountain’s evil ways.” As Halstead sings the lyrics you hear the sound of everything slipping away. Those vocals take on pure anguish when he wonders why the Lord in punishing him in The Flood. Full on depression becomes the topic in Uneven Ground.
Halstead also captures some of the irony in an everyday life with little to celebrate. Good Ol’ Boys with Bad Names is one a few songs that also acknowledge the outsized role drugs have in the area. Man’s Gotta Eat details a story of selling copper for one more fix, but the sound is more resolute than sad. Mountain Queen utilizes a bluegrass style to add some positive energy to the all-too-common story of leaving someone behind for a job, but knowing you’ll return. Against the backdrop of the rest of the album, Halstead’s Del McCoury-style version of 1952 Vincent Black Lightning comes across as upbeat. The story itself nestles nicely with the rest of the songs.
Dark Black Coal is not an album for the faint of heart. It’s raw, and emotional, and is stripped bare of most things even resembling optimism. It’s also one of the most compelling records I’ve heard in some time. Logan Halstead turns darkness into motivation, and despite the figurative tears and screams you can hear the kernel of hope and know there’s a brighter day waiting for him. Just be prepared for the journey it takes you on.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.