Review: Benjamin Tod ‘Country Is Dead’
Fatherhood has not slowed Lost Dog Street Band frontman and acclaimed solo artist Benjamin Tod one iota. Tod and his wife – fellow band member Ashley Mae – welcomed their first child into the world earlier this year.
Although the arrival has put the band on hiatus as Ashley steps back to focus on parenting, Tod has redoubled his impressive work ethic, having recently released the incredible solo album Vengeance and Grace alongside touring with his new project, Benjamin Tod & The Inline Six.
With all this in mind, it is still something of a surprise, even for a long-time fan, that the man dropped a second record this year – a collection of covers entitled Country Is Dead.
This twelve-track release consists of songs that were foundational to the young artist as he developed his style, shaping the kind of musician he would become and the material that impacted him personally. As such, the tracklist features greats from the likes of Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, and The Byrds, all delivered with Tod’s unique voice and style as he pays homage, adding his own outlaw twist.
This is where my lack of knowledge of country music shines through, as truthfully some of these tracks and artists were unfamiliar or known only in passing. Even so, the execution of the covers is top-notch, as one would expect.
Starting with an incoming train whistle recreated by a pedal steel guitar, the album kicks off with the Jimmie Rodgers standard Waiting For A Train. The 1929 original by the ‘grandfather of country music’ was itself a rework of a 19th-century English song that propelled Rodgers to the best-selling act of that year. Here, fresh life is breathed into it by the guitar, fiddle, and a phase-shifted Telecaster. The music is laid-back with a satisfying thump and swish to the drums as Tod intones the Singing Brakeman’s number with clear passion and affinity for his own life.
Hickory Wind by The Byrds was written by Gram Parsons and Bob Buchan on a train ride. Here, the languid ballad – complete with female backing vocals and lush-sounding noodling guitar – brings out the wistful introspection in the lyrics. The gorgeous picking and slide of the strings washes over you with soothing reassurance. It does not bear the deep scars of Tod’s usual work, coming across instead like a warm embrace.
Credited to Larry Sparks, the original Natural Thing To Do was released on Silver Reflections in 1987 and feels more akin to Tod’s own output, with the shadow of heartbreak and unconditional devotion looming large over a classic bluegrass swing. The meandering guitar takes its time to weave over the swish of the drums and the plod of the bass. You can feel the performance in Tod’s voice as he digs into his own experiences to passionately make the song his own.
The meandering guitar takes its time to weave over the swish of the drums and the plod of the bass…
Highway 40 Blues (Ricky Skaggs) is a classic road tale that tugs at the heartstrings, before Hank Locklin’s Nashville Woman kicks the pace up with a bawdy story of youthful exuberance, buoyed by the swagger of recalling reckless days.
By contrast, the Merle Haggard hit You Take Me For Granted, which dominated the country charts for thirteen weeks in 1983, slows things back down. Here he explores the emotional pain and resignation of being in a relationship with a partner who does not appreciate him. There is a quiet elegance and dignity to the waltzing drift that excels in the subtleties of the playing.
After the country pop of the ode Some Broken Hearts Never Mend, originally released by Don Williams in 1977, the unreleased Hank Williams standard Alone And Forsaken hits as one of the record’s heavyweight numbers. Slow and brooding, the powerful dark country track is perfectly suited to Tod’s raw style and vulnerable relatability. As the weighty, desperate cry of the chorus strikes. ‘Alone and forsaken by fate and by man, Oh Lord, if you hear me, please hold to my hand, oh please understand’, you can genuinely feel the resonance of the words.
Next up, Color Of The Blues is considered one of George Jones’ greatest numbers. The honky-tonk track is clearly dear to Tod‘s heart, especially given his recent focus on the style. The self-pitying lyrics about a failed relationship feel surprisingly upbeat, considering the vivid hue of the poetry symbolising despair. This is followed by his take on Bob Dylan’s Only A Hobo, which maintains that feeling of tapping into his own life and lived experience.
Finishing with the pairing of Billy Joe Shaver’s outlaw tune Ragged Old Truck – a tale of breaking away from a stifling routine – and the relationship redemption song Turn This Thing Around by Keith Whitley, wraps up the release in style.
Across the twelve tracks, he is ably backed by a cast featuring Chris Gelb (drums), Paul Defiglia (bass), Sam Talmadge (guitar, backing vocals), Jeff Taylor (piano), Russ Pahl (steel guitar, additional guitar), and Billy Contrera (fiddle), alongside backing vocals from Aron Tyler King, Caitlin Rose, Tebbs Karney, and Timbo. The whole thing sounds superb, expertly produced, mixed, and mastered by Andrija Tokic.
Country Is Dead is a great-sounding collection. I could, quite frankly, sit and listen to him sing the phone book, so any new recordings are welcome. These songs informed his career from his days busking on the streets of his hometown, and now he gets to pay that debt back by playing them at this stage of his life. In his own words, it is a ‘full-circle moment’. I will never grumble about the chance to hear more from him, but after his stunning solo album earlier this year, this latest release is probably more one for country music aficionados and completists than essential listening. That, however, is no fault of the artist or the delivery.
Label: Thirty Tigers
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Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
