Somewhere in the exurbs of farming country sits the rural version of a night club. It’s a big, corrugated tin building with a puddle-filled gravel lot, nearly indistinguishable from the welding shop next door. Live music on the weekends is courtesy of a local band playing honky-tonk rock, the thematic choice for drinkin’, flirtin’, fightin’, and dancin’. Nashville’s Sophie Gault has provided the soundtrack for Friday night at said establishment with the release of her new album, Unhinged.
The record opens with a lo-fi rock version of Buck Owen’s classic Love’s Gonna Live Here. Featuring some of Gault’s searing guitar work, it starts the night with unbridled optimism. It’s followed up by a duet with Mando Saenz on his Pocket Change. By Merlot Dodge Dart, the reality of the night has started setting in. It’s a swampy, acoustic blues number where “you killed my buzz and broke my heart” is the precursor to some parking lot vengeance. Also in that funky vein is Chestnut Street, with its subtler style of guitar riff. You can practically hear the defiance in Gault’s voice when she sings, “why don’t you tell me what you think of me.”
By now you’re ready for the title track. It has a little more of a singer-songwriter flair, but the band is never far behind. After that is (I Thought the) Whiskey Would Help, where Gault notes that, “boy was I right.” It features the song’s author, Adam Kurtz, on harmony vocals and a baritone guitar he apparently won at a craps game on the Outlaw Country cruise. There’s not much left at this point except Last Call Rock & Roll. It starts as more of an acoustic ballad before kicking into a fine honky tonk anthem. The CD finishes with a Gurf Morlix composition, Is There Anyone Out There, and features him on vocals. It’s an introspective number perfect for the end of a fun-filled, but emotionally unfulfilling, evening.
Sophie Gault is making her mark on the East Nashville music scene. I’ve seen her be the guitarist of choice for several songwriters. She’s equally comfortable solo with just an acoustic guitar, or leading a powerhouse band. Either way, she’s a no-holds-barred musician, and that comes through loud and clear on Unhinged.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.