Colter Wall - Imaginary Appalachia
David Hicks | Published on 10/31/2024
2015
(On LP, CD, Streaming Qobuz)
Listening to Colter Wall’s vocal delivery draws the listener into a cramped, smoky bar with the image of an elderly C&W star playing for tips, the floor covered in sawdust, and the smell of stale beer heavy like a fog in the room. You could say the voice is rough and raw. The musical accompaniment is sparse and lacking in flash or flair. The combination is perfectly suited to the elemental lyrics that make you believe the composer isn’t just a songwriter but is someone who has lived the life of a poor country boy from the South. That, even though Wall was born up north in the province of Saskatchewan and his father was a prime minister. Then again, those Canadian boys in The Band did a pretty nice job of embodying the music of the South.
Wall’s has released over a dozen albums since he cut his first album/EP at the age of 20 way back in 2015. But, for those unfamiliar with Wall’s blend of country and folk/blues music delivered in a voice that many compare to Johnny Cash, Imaginary Appalachia is a good place to start, perhaps because it is where he started. The EP, is made up of just seven songs, all under four minutes in length, and two of those under three minutes. This will likely not tax your tolerance for country music if you like your country in small doses.
Lyrical topics in the songs touch on a variety of folk/country themes, from The Civil War in Johnny Boy’s Bones, to life and death and love in Caroline, and the occupational hazard of a barroom killer when the law catches up to him in Ballad of a Law Abiding Sophisticate. That last song may trigger your thoughts to make another Johnny Cash connection with Folsom Prison Blues.
Available on Qobuz and the usual streaming services and CD or Vinyl from the Official Merchandise Store for Colter Wall or your favorite record store or online outlet.
YouTube: Ballad of a Law Abiding Sophisticate