Eady’s approach, much as it was on 2014’s superb Daylight & Dark, is one of “less is more.” Like much classic country music, most of these songs are short and to the point – very much inspired, but there’s a no-frills approach here. It’s all about the music and the songcraft.
It’s all also still very much rooted in classic country tradition. While 2016 saw Hayes Carll move towards a more American route (and that’s not a bad thing or a criticism), Eady has doubled down, keeping the foundation of classic country very much at the forefront.
I reviewed “Why I Left Atlanta”, another album standout, when it was released a few months back. (http://popculturepotpourri.weebly.com/main-page/song-review-jason-eady-why-i-left-atlanta) It’s a song that focuses on leaving a place which used to be a safe haven but for a restless soul who’s always searching for something, it was difficult to stay in one place, and when that restlessness brought about the end of a relationship, it turned that place into a somewhere harboring difficult memories.
“Black Jesus” is a favorite on the album…a song about a young man and an older veteran working together on a road crew. They each teach other their favorite style of music and the older veteran tells him that the only thing different between them is that one has a vision of Jesus as white and one has a vision of Jesus as black.
This is the kind of country album that restores faith that true country music still exists.