The new breed of country takes on the outlaw mantra
Ah, country music! So what is that, exactly, anyway? Like every other genre of popular music, it has evolved over time, not always for the better.
By 1975 certain tropes were well established enough that David Allan Coe made a meta reference to “mama, trains, trucks and getting out of prison” as being essential components of any country song.
Flash forward thirty years and Porter Wagoner is wondering what the hell a honky-tonk badonkadonk is. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not slagging any particular era of country music; to each their own.
What I am trying to illustrate is that the music has undergone some rather significant changes since its early gospel/folk/western swing origins and sometimes it’s hard to gain something new without losing something else. Depending on your proclivities, sometimes what’s lost is far more valuable than what was gained, but that’s the way of things sometimes.
There is, as of late, a new breed of country musician, although “new breed” is somewhat paradoxical since one of the defining characteristics of the young Turks is a return to, or updated version of, an older approach.
Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton are prime examples, for while they bring modern sensibilities to their music, there is some serious singer/songwriter thoughtfulness to their work that, for a decade or two, was nearly forgotten.
They are, as far as I can say, the rightful heirs to Outlaw Country, and they aren’t alone. Hailing from Jackson, Mississippi, Young Valley is an up and coming group, well on their way to securing a place in that hallowed tradition.
They have a big sound, but then they’re a big band. Zach Lovett, Spencer Thomas, Dylan Lovett and Ethan Frink all share vocal duties in addition to their respective instruments while Kell Kellum plays pedal steel and Phil Thompson rounds out the ensemble on violin (not fiddle?) and keys.
Zach, Dylan and Spencer write the songs, incorporating ideas from across the musical spectrum, always managing to bring it home to a place that is definitely country, but not exclusively country. There’s rock, there’s folk, there’s more than that, and they blend it all together so seamlessly with well written, thoughtful lyrics that New Outlaw is the best way I know to describe them.
The band is kicking off its second tour to promote its second album (self-titled) on August 22nd starting in Nashville at The Local, making their way up to Pennsylvania and New York and ultimately winding back down to Knoxville, North Carolina and South Carolina.
It’s another whirlwind tour for a group whose stock continues to rise like a rocket.
Songs like “Burnt Out,” “Cool Blue Patience” and “Without You” demonstrate the band’s range within the genre running the gamut from classic to contemporary to “they will never allow this on the radio but people are gonna go nuts for it in concert.”
The album, Young Valley, is available now in the usual range of formats through Dial Back Sound’s website and elsewhere, but more importantly, the band is making several passes within easy driving distance of the Scenic City and you absolutely MUST see them now.
This is the second time I’ve written about them this year for one simple reason: within the next two years Young Valley is going to explode nationally and the opportunity to say, “I saw them when” will be lost forever, so have a listen, drive to a show, see them now, and annoy your friends later with how you knew this famous band first.