#500 (Land) on the Country DDS.
Country music.
No restrictions, no hyphenated terms, no winks to make an “Americana” act seem country just because they have a steel guitar in the band. If you’ve looked up the textbook definition of country, you shouldn’t be surprised to see Ben Jarrell’s face. Sure, this album is a little more vintage country with maybe some outlaw influence as opposed to the starched denim crowd of modern traditional country. But it’s stone cold country nonetheless.
Ben Jarrell caught the attention of people who like to search for the best country music with his wild 2019 country song “Black Helicopter” and the crazy diorama album covers of his early releases. He was always country, but Ben was also a bit eccentric in a cool way, which made him unique and drew attention.
With A country songthere are no jokes and no crazy digressions. Even the cover is more conventional, though it is still an excellent pencil drawing of Jarrell by Isaac Denton. This is the album where Ben Jarrell defines in word and deed what “country music” is, including the title song, which underscores how country music can act as an emotional panacea for everyone.
That doesn’t mean this album doesn’t have its adventures, though. As a touring musician, Ben Jarrell has plenty of stories to tell and inspirations to take full advantage of, like on the song “End Of The Road Woman,” which feels like it was taken straight from Jarrell’s tour schedule.
As the Dothan, Alabama-born singer sings in the opening track after a great, folksy acoustic guitar opening that is typical of early Merle Haggard, “I grew up way down in Alabama, where you rarely see a home that isn’t on wheels. I never learned to think about tomorrow. I never knew what it felt like to stay.”
Considering that Ben Jarrell’s albums seem to just “pop up” and you have to be in the know to stumble upon them, the idea that he never thinks about tomorrow isn’t just a poetic notion. That’s the life of Ben Jarrell. Professionally, Jarrell is something of his own worst enemy, as he sings about in the song “The Wall Always Wins.” But it just so happens that the country artists who are the worst businessmen also tend to write and record some of the best songs.
Several traces of A country song are about leaving, trying to stay, wanting to settle down but feeling like it’s against your nature. Not surprisingly, Jarrell feels a kinship with truck drivers, which is evident in the track “Tucumcari Tonight,” about the cool little town on Route 66 in New Mexico. One song that shouldn’t be overlooked is “Shadow of a Shade Tree.” If you want the perfect example of hitting a groove and a mood, getting into it, and painting a picture with a song, this song is it.
You won’t see Ben Jarrell headlining the big festivals or popping up on the Billboard charts. He’s too country, too authentic, too much just for the music to be involved in any of that, even if he should be. He just wants to put out great country songs and gather enough fans around the country to keep it going. This album definitely has some great country songs and definitely deserves to be heard by fans around the country.
1 3/4 weapons high (8.1/10)
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