Hezekiah Goode – Humansville
2021 – Self Released
Humansville was released at the tail end of 2021, but circumstances prevented me from writing a review of this album that, along with Chris Doud’s The Land Farthest West, was my ‘Album of the year 2021.’ Having now lived with this extraordinary collection for several months I’m still no nearer to being able to come up with a snappy description! The casual listener will think it is an incredibly ‘pleasant,’ melodic song cycle, although as soon as they hear snippets of the lyrics, they will soon start to realise that perhaps their assessment is a little off. Anyone who sits down to listen properly will hear immediate rewards, not just in terms of the sheer melodicism, easy rolling tempos, perfect arrangements, and instrumentation and the warm, so easy on the ear vocals, but will most definitely have been struck by the often heart rendingly dramatic lyrics and self-contained stories in each song that all combine to raise this album from excellence to greatness!
Hezekiah Goode is one of the most unusual ‘contemporary country’ singers of the 21st century. This, in a genre that doesn’t lend itself to the unusual, in fact ‘it’ often seems to want everyone to sound the same. Perhaps in some ways that is an oversimplification but stick with me and I’ll try (probably unsuccessfully) to explain what I mean. Stylistically, this tremendous recording is always recognisable as modern country music but with songs that range from ‘pure’ country to country with a lovely jazzy edge and then to rural ‘hillbilly,’ usually performed in a warm crooning vocal style but always holding together and flowing perfectly. There is a relaxed, melodic easy rolling feel to this album that is anything but relaxing, balanced with a vocal warmth that is enough to take the chill off the coldest of winter nights.
Humansville is only his third album in ten years but like the two previous recordings, 2011s The Shooter in the Tower, and 2013s Two Billion Acres of Salt (the latter reviewed on this website) Hez brings something entirely different to country music, and yet despite having listened to his albums countless times I still can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is. I’m almost there but tying an easy label to his style and sound is virtually impossible.
He is about as country as you can get with his song writing, playing and vocals but in a way that is uniquely his own; no contrivances, just completely natural and unique without even trying. There is always a casual, sometimes almost laconic air to his vocal projections that can often make the listener think this is going to be an easy-going piece of modern country, only to find it is anything but easy going! Hez was more than ably assisted on this album by the mixing talents of Chris Andrews and the instrumental licks of Matt Combs on fiddle, Bob Tuttles’ weeping pedal steel, Rusty Danmyer on the haunting dobro, with Dave Roe and Lynn Williams on upright bass and drums respectively.
Slightly out of the ordinary melodies, and, because his lyrics are poetic, they are often a loose fit with the melody, contribute to the unusual feel of his songs. I know that when I got his 2013 album Two Billion Acres of Salt I was struck by the same feeling. And yet, whilst I’ve mentioned the poeticism of his lyrics, the poetry element is often less noticeable than the story telling which is propelled by his vocals that often approach a western ‘croon’ and set to a melody that could have been improvised, just following the tempo set by his evocation of the lyrics. Often, Hez’s vocal presentation of the lyrics contrasts with the melody and yet at the same time fits perfectly. Yes, I know, that explanation is not really making sense but when you come across an album as extraordinary as Humansville, making a considered, well thought out analysis really does go out of the window.
It was close to impossible to cherry pick just a few songs so I decided to go for a ‘slab,’ tracks two to five (plus one other) to give an example of the variety contained within the album, although I could just as easily pick samples from any area of this tremendous collection. Ozark Valentine is a stunning ballad on which his voice has little more than a piano and acoustic guitar for company and as with most of his songs is expansive, not just being limited to the restrictive confines of a simple love song. On this beautiful tale Hezekiah’s wife, classical pianist Brenna Berman, played grand piano and supplied the backing vocals. Son in law yodel is driven by a sparse acoustic guitar, and despite the yodelling has a strong jazzy feel with Hez’s emoting of the poetic lyrics strengthening the jazz feel. On Big Taters we move into a virtual old time ‘hillbilly’ setting with what sounds like a boot on wood percussion, banjo, and sawing fiddle, with guitar coming in latterly. It is so easy to imagine the song being played at a hoedown 100 years ago in a lost Appalachian ‘holler,’ such is the authentic atmosphere that is created. Laramie county jail is another song that has a gentle laidback feel and yet again, is an incredibly powerful dramatic tale, with lovely fiddle and beautiful steel guitar as accompaniment. Tintype, with its mellow acoustic guitar and Hez’s usual relaxed warm vocal, sounds as if it is a gentle tale but listen to the lyrics! A complete contrast to what the casual listener would think is going on. It is in fact a quite harrowing tale!
Right before he left to go and drink himself to death
Daddy beat the hell out of us kids
And my poor mama
Not the stuff of ‘country pop!’ But then you find out that ‘Daddy’ was another damaged victim of the horror that was the war in Vietnam and its equally horrifying effect on his family. An incredibly cinematic song. To me this is the most hard hitting and realistic anti-war song since the late great John Prine penned ‘Sam Stone.’ It pretty much sums up the fact that whilst being an easy on the ear album it is anything but an ‘easy listening’ recording.
Hez’s vocals are often at odds with the lyrical content in as much as his warmth relaxes the listener and draws you in then the lyrics hit home! And therein lies the uniqueness of this song collection. It is an album that still has strong traces of the old 1920s ‘Hillbilly’ ethic, some songs more than others. In fact, it would probably help in the summing up of the album to say that it not only ranges from ‘modern country’ back to ‘hillbilly,’ but also includes country and western, jazz and probably much else!
My apologies to anyone trying to make sense out of the above but I’m still, after countless plays, finding previously undiscovered textures and nuances tucked away on this extraordinary disc. I must have at least piqued your interest and made you wonder what on earth I’m going on about, so just purchase the album and lose yourself in the worlds created by this gifted songwriter and musician.
http://www.hezekiahgoode.com
Humansville was released at the tail end of 2021, but circumstances prevented me from writing a review of this album that, along with Chris Doud’s The Land Farthest West, was my ‘Album of the year 2021.’ Having now lived with this extraordinary collection for several months I’m still no nearer to being able to come up with a snappy description! The casual listener will think it is an incredibly ‘pleasant,’ melodic song cycle, although as soon as they hear snippets of the lyrics, they will soon start to realise that perhaps their assessment is a little off. Anyone who sits down to listen properly will hear immediate rewards, not just in terms of the sheer melodicism, easy rolling tempos, perfect arrangements, and instrumentation and the warm, so easy on the ear vocals, but will most definitely have been struck by the often heart rendingly dramatic lyrics and self-contained stories in each song that all combine to raise this album from excellence to greatness!
Hezekiah Goode is one of the most unusual ‘contemporary country’ singers of the 21st century. This, in a genre that doesn’t lend itself to the unusual, in fact ‘it’ often seems to want everyone to sound the same. Perhaps in some ways that is an oversimplification but stick with me and I’ll try (probably unsuccessfully) to explain what I mean. Stylistically, this tremendous recording is always recognisable as modern country music but with songs that range from ‘pure’ country to country with a lovely jazzy edge and then to rural ‘hillbilly,’ usually performed in a warm crooning vocal style but always holding together and flowing perfectly. There is a relaxed, melodic easy rolling feel to this album that is anything but relaxing, balanced with a vocal warmth that is enough to take the chill off the coldest of winter nights.
Humansville is only his third album in ten years but like the two previous recordings, 2011s The Shooter in the Tower, and 2013s Two Billion Acres of Salt (the latter reviewed on this website) Hez brings something entirely different to country music, and yet despite having listened to his albums countless times I still can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is. I’m almost there but tying an easy label to his style and sound is virtually impossible.
He is about as country as you can get with his song writing, playing and vocals but in a way that is uniquely his own; no contrivances, just completely natural and unique without even trying. There is always a casual, sometimes almost laconic air to his vocal projections that can often make the listener think this is going to be an easy-going piece of modern country, only to find it is anything but easy going! Hez was more than ably assisted on this album by the mixing talents of Chris Andrews and the instrumental licks of Matt Combs on fiddle, Bob Tuttles’ weeping pedal steel, Rusty Danmyer on the haunting dobro, with Dave Roe and Lynn Williams on upright bass and drums respectively.
Slightly out of the ordinary melodies, and, because his lyrics are poetic, they are often a loose fit with the melody, contribute to the unusual feel of his songs. I know that when I got his 2013 album Two Billion Acres of Salt I was struck by the same feeling. And yet, whilst I’ve mentioned the poeticism of his lyrics, the poetry element is often less noticeable than the story telling which is propelled by his vocals that often approach a western ‘croon’ and set to a melody that could have been improvised, just following the tempo set by his evocation of the lyrics. Often, Hez’s vocal presentation of the lyrics contrasts with the melody and yet at the same time fits perfectly. Yes, I know, that explanation is not really making sense but when you come across an album as extraordinary as Humansville, making a considered, well thought out analysis really does go out of the window.
It was close to impossible to cherry pick just a few songs so I decided to go for a ‘slab,’ tracks two to five (plus one other) to give an example of the variety contained within the album, although I could just as easily pick samples from any area of this tremendous collection. Ozark Valentine is a stunning ballad on which his voice has little more than a piano and acoustic guitar for company and as with most of his songs is expansive, not just being limited to the restrictive confines of a simple love song. On this beautiful tale Hezekiah’s wife, classical pianist Brenna Berman, played grand piano and supplied the backing vocals. Son in law yodel is driven by a sparse acoustic guitar, and despite the yodelling has a strong jazzy feel with Hez’s emoting of the poetic lyrics strengthening the jazz feel. On Big Taters we move into a virtual old time ‘hillbilly’ setting with what sounds like a boot on wood percussion, banjo, and sawing fiddle, with guitar coming in latterly. It is so easy to imagine the song being played at a hoedown 100 years ago in a lost Appalachian ‘holler,’ such is the authentic atmosphere that is created. Laramie county jail is another song that has a gentle laidback feel and yet again, is an incredibly powerful dramatic tale, with lovely fiddle and beautiful steel guitar as accompaniment. Tintype, with its mellow acoustic guitar and Hez’s usual relaxed warm vocal, sounds as if it is a gentle tale but listen to the lyrics! A complete contrast to what the casual listener would think is going on. It is in fact a quite harrowing tale!
Right before he left to go and drink himself to death
Daddy beat the hell out of us kids
And my poor mama
Not the stuff of ‘country pop!’ But then you find out that ‘Daddy’ was another damaged victim of the horror that was the war in Vietnam and its equally horrifying effect on his family. An incredibly cinematic song. To me this is the most hard hitting and realistic anti-war song since the late great John Prine penned ‘Sam Stone.’ It pretty much sums up the fact that whilst being an easy on the ear album it is anything but an ‘easy listening’ recording.
Hez’s vocals are often at odds with the lyrical content in as much as his warmth relaxes the listener and draws you in then the lyrics hit home! And therein lies the uniqueness of this song collection. It is an album that still has strong traces of the old 1920s ‘Hillbilly’ ethic, some songs more than others. In fact, it would probably help in the summing up of the album to say that it not only ranges from ‘modern country’ back to ‘hillbilly,’ but also includes country and western, jazz and probably much else!
My apologies to anyone trying to make sense out of the above but I’m still, after countless plays, finding previously undiscovered textures and nuances tucked away on this extraordinary disc. I must have at least piqued your interest and made you wonder what on earth I’m going on about, so just purchase the album and lose yourself in the worlds created by this gifted songwriter and musician.
http://www.hezekiahgoode.com