There’s an axis on the songwriting philosophy spectrum that ranges from serious and important to fun and lighthearted. Country musician Grant Langston, originally from Alabama, but residing in LA for the last couple of decades, has spanned that entire range. His first couple of records leaned toward serious ballads, but his new one, aLAbama is intended to “give you a break from the world for 40 minutes.” It draws from the traditional country music he grew up with as well as the California country he’s immersed in today (hence the play on the two locales in the album name).
The CD leaps out of the gate in Bakersfield with Country or Bust, a honky-tonk number extolling an escape from the rat race where, “it ain’t what you make, son, it’s what you keep.” Layaway likewise two-steps across the floor in an installment about the temptation of buying things you can’t really afford. Singalong is a more serious country tune, with Dan Wistrom adding bluesy steel guitar that underscores how Langston, or someone he knows, misses his dad. Jailbird has kind of a Hayes Carll or Corb Lund sarcasm about an inmate dreaming of freedom and fun.
There’s a little more rock influence in the ballad, How Much Do You Want?, featuring Ted Russell Kamp on trumpet. Fellow Angelenos The HawtThorns contribute to Pure Grain Guarantee, a Southern rock tale about the value of a promise from a drunkard. As Is Sale mixes southern styles in a cliched story about buying a car from a used-car salesman. This Old Truck is just the opposite–in a world of disappointments and unkept promises it’s the one thing you can count on. Closer Corporate Hack is an autobiographical story of Langston’s dual lives as corporate CEO and musician.
Up to now, this post is just a review of an album, aLAbama, I recommend as a great place to get a good dose of twangy fun. Now the story gets a plot twist. When the record releases in a couple of weeks, you may get 12 songs on it, and you may just get 8. It seems that when the early copies were sent to industry folk, someone took 4 of the songs and uploaded them to the streaming services under a different name before Langston himself uploaded them. Now those services deny they’re Langston compositions. The anti-piracy rules apparently assume the songs belong to whoever uploads them first. Langston is fighting to prove they’re his, but it’s the classic DIY musician against the behemoth services. Fortunately, hopefully, his corporate background will help flavor the battle more to his favor, and Grant Langston’s aLAbama will land with its full complement of songs.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.