The story is not an unusual one. A successful sideman works his tail off for years, building his chops and accumulating a catalog of songs, or at least the scraps and pieces of them. Then one day kismet stops by and everything falls into place to release an album. That’s the short version of how guitarist/vocalist Tony Martinez came to make his first record, Everywhere West. The longer version has a lot more layer and texture to it than that, including a friendship with rapper Yelawolf and recovery from an autoimmune disease because of an accidental scorpion sting. You can’t make that stuff up. Like those twists and turns in life itself, the album provides a few unexpected jolts of excitement.
Fundamentally you’d have to classify this as an outlaw country project. Right out of the gate is Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Slow Me Down, a working man’s anthem with rocking guitar and twangy pedal steel. Believe I’ll Be Leavin’ also brings the guitars to the classic theme of a traveling man. Crazy features Yelawolf in a tale of a relationship where “you’re a blessing and a curse.” Martinez slows things down for White Label Lies and shows off a velvety vocal ability that evokes George Jones or Randy Travis. Same thing with See You On Broadway.
Now let’s talk about those surprises. I’ve Lost More (Than What I’ve Got Today) starts with almost a spoken word delivery of a sad truth. Then the spirit picks up, the pedal steel kicks in and it’s old school country. It just keeps going, the legendary McCrary Sisters blow up the background vocals and it becomes damn near a Motown song. I Won’t Say No To You also features the McCrarys along with horns and keyboards in a cut that’s far more Memphis than Nashville. At the other end of the sonic spectrum is Try. It’s just Martinez and his acoustic guitar and the anguish in his voice practically bleeds out of the speakers.
Not surprisingly, many of those records I talked about in the beginning serve to scratch an itch, but musically they’re predictable. You can’t say that about Tony Martinez. From here he could keep pressing down the outlaw country highway. Or he could dial up the crooner knob for the country romance crowd. Or maybe he’ll decamp to a city closer to his R&B leanings. Regardless of what path he chooses, I recommend you start at the beginning with Everywhere West.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.