Album Review: Hayes Carll, ‘We’re Only Human’
A songwriter’s songwriter, Hayes Carll gazes steadily at the world around him and stares deeply into the human soul, especially his own, and with the heart of storyteller he juxtaposes images and words to create a portrait of the individuals often struggling to find peace, hope, and love in their lives. On his tenth album, We’re Only Human, Carll delivers a collection of riveting short stories and lyrics that quietly probe the ways we can find avenues of grace as we confront the our own shortcomings and the challenges of the world.
Layers of lilting pedal steel weave under and around stately piano chords and B3 strains on the title track, providing a cinematic foundation for Carll’s gravely, crackling, straight-from-the-heart vocals. The song spirals to a crescendo in the final chorus before fading slowly into twinkling piano notes, reminding us of our common struggles to find and revel in the humanity we all share. Gentle mandolin strums open and flow beneath the swaying “Stay Here a While,” an ode to staying attentive and being present in the moment: “The pace these days suits my style/ So I think I’ll stay here awhile.” Fiddles propel the good old front porch hoedown, “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle),” a not-so-ironic lament that making “big money on bitcoin and cattle” is dividing us though we’re constantly told that “it’s all for the progress of man.” The atmospheric blues “I Got Away with It,” soars with regret and pain while shining with luminous self-knowledge. The sparse “Making Amends” acts as a riposte to “I Got Away with It”; it’s a plaintive pledge, fueled by layers of aching pedal steel, to “try to do better.” The album closes with “May I Never,” which sonically recalls The Kingston Trio’s “It Takes a Worried Man.” Carll is joined on the song by Ray Wylie Hubbard, Shovels & Rope, Darrell Scott, Nicole Atkins, and The Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi, who each take verses. On the penultimate refrain Carll and company sing ethereally: “Holdin’ on to the wonder and the glory/ Of a world and a spirit open wide/ Holdin’ on long enough to tell the story/ Of the love I have discovered deep inside.”
We’re Only Human showcases once again Carll’s ability to connect introspective gems of wisdom with musical scores that reflect the depth of a song’s meaning. It’s one of the year’s best albums.
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We’re Only Human is available HERE.
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