When you grow up in a small town you learn young that one thing you’ll never have is anonymity. So you quickly figure out how to smile and be polite because you just can’t avoid anyone. That does not mean people don’t make bad decisions, and then live with the results of those choices. Krislyn Arthurs grew up in small-town Oklahoma and her debut album, Honky Tonk PhD is full of stories about that less genteel side of rural America. Overall the record lays in the space between outlaw country and southern rock, with a little honky tonk twang thrown in. Add the dark current of the lyrics though, and you have what some call goth country.
Arthurs notes that although she’s been building her catalog for many years, most of the songs came from a moment of inspiration and didn’t need to be worked and polished over a long time. You can hear that authenticity in the delivery. These are the kind of stories where truth is more interesting than fiction, whether it’s the trailer park queen or the guy making liquor down in the holler. Now, after releasing several songs as singles, she felt it was time to deliver a more expansive picture of her music so she went into the studio with a full band and recut 10 of her best.
One of my favorites is Missin’ Man. It’s a country ballad with a swampy texture to it, all about a misogynist, or maybe a line of them because “daddy turns cheek at the things he done.” The title gives away the subject matter, but with that dark undercurrent I noted earlier our protagonist slyly comments, “that’s the one man I’ll never miss again.” We’re so pleased to be offering a first listen to it, so here is Krislyn Arthurs’ Missin’ Man.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.