Album Feature: A Sailor's Guide to Earth
Here's a post that has been sitting in my drafts since we started this blog! In some ways, I'm glad that I was lazy... because this album has only grown in popularity since I envisioned this post. So popular that the Grammy's awarded it the top album in it's genre for 2016.
About a month ago (10 months ago), I had iTunes gift cards to use and no specific preference of music. After perusing the iTunes store, I decided upon an album that many would not expect of me. A country album. I'm usually the first to diss country as a genre, often improvising my idea of the next big hit from the next hot 'redneck'. It usually goes something like, "I'm drunk cause my girlfriend left me and I'm driving my pickup through the woods with my dog." But this was different. This artist had vibes that I never experienced and melded genres like no one's business. His name? Sturgill Simpson.
Simpson took country music by storm with his widely popular, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music in 2014. Being late to the party, as always, I was not introduced to Sturgill Simpson until his 2016 release A Sailor's Guide to Earth. His blend of traditional country music with electronic, jazz, and rock influences intrigued me enough to purchase his album. Also, look how beautiful the album art is.
Sturgill wrote this album as a love-letter to his wife and newborn son. Simpson's storytelling is heavily influenced by 3 years of service in the United States Navy. In "Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)" we immediately hear the knell of ship bells, setting up nautical references found throughout this entire album. Within this track, Simpson's diverse style is on full display. Check it out using the Spotify link below!
Sturgill Simpson's use of a horn section and a rumbling baritone saxophone adds such a different feeling to this album. Between verses, the horn section often trades off with the slide guitar. This is one of many revolutionary characteristics in Simpson's music. "Keep It Between the Lines" shows the interplay of these two entities as well as the immediately recognizable sound of the Wurlitzer organ. This album does a fantastic job of pulling sounds from the past and modernizing them. He literally does this with a whole song later in the album. His cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" adds a missing depth and maturity to the teenage grunge hit of the 90's. Overall, the album hits the listener with an intensity that is often absent in the country genre. With that said, there are moments where Sturgill shows an appealing tenderness that makes the listener take an aural double-take. "Was that the same guy that just growled his way through the last tune?" Yes, it is!
Sturgill's popularity has increased dramatically since the release of this album. He made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live this past January with an electric performance, defying the smooth and endearing image of what today's country music 'should be'.
His gritty horn section, smooth slide guitar, and energetic guitar playing injected life into the show. I was personally impressed by the trumpet player. At the end of his set, he destroyed his guitar and completely owned the stage.
A month later, Simpson was accepting his GRAMMY for Best Country Album and was even nominated for the Album of the Year! The award was (regrettably) given to Adele. BEYONCE SHOULD HAVE WON! Have you heard Lemonade?!
But I have digressed from my point...
Sturgill Simpson offers listeners a gritty sound that real country fans have yearned for since Willie, Waylon, and the Boys. Since Simpson's emergence, he has been compared to Waylon Jennings. He clearly does not agree with this parallel saying... (EXPLETIVES TO FOLLOW)
“You know what I honestly believe? I think it’s psychosomatic. I think people really want somebody right now to sound like Waylon Jennings. They want somebody to walk out on stage with a big, giant flag that says, ‘Fuck You.’ Believe me, it is frustrating, because it makes me feel like I haven’t done a very good job of really getting my voice down. It’s like, ‘Am I not very original in my approach?’ But there’s a hell of a lot worse things you can be told than, ‘Hey man, you sound like Waylon Jennings.’ I’ll take it a compliment, even when I’m burnt the fuck out hearing it.” ~ Sturgill Simpson
You can make the comparison for yourself but I highly recommend listening to this artist and opening up your musical palette to new experiences... yes, even if it is country music.
