Woke on a Whaleheart
Label: Drag City
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Woke on a Whaleheart
Bill Callahan doesn’t sing with emotion. On occasion he reaches for notes. Sometimes he raises his voice. Sometimes he seems to chuckle. He sounds like someone’s dad trying his hand at country music (‘The Wheelâ?�), but would never be mistaken for a country singer. For his 13th album, he dropped the Smog moniker, but other than that it’s the same unvarnished indie-styled folk-rock with few variations. His lyrics are blunt, sometimes impolite, sometimes slight, usually with a wry observation. Life goes on within him and without him. Musically, this comes together just fine. ‘Diamond Dancerâ?� adds a stiff disco groove that’s copped from ‘Emotional Rescue.â?� ‘Footprintsâ?� could be Jackson Browne’s ‘Walking Slowâ?� given a shot of catatonia. Elizabeth Warren’s violins and Howard Draper’s keyboards and lap steel enliven everything they touch. All that’s really needed is a little light shock therapy to shake things up.
This article appears in Apr 18-24, 2007.