Ags Connolly – Your Pal Slim: Songs of James Hand
Ags Connolly is a bonified old style Texas country musician and singer songwriter hailing, unlikely as it may seem, originally from the UK. He’s offered here a collection of tribute songs written by James Hand (with one bonus track written by Ags.) James Hand was a little known Texas honky tonk musician and songwriter who wrote quality songs and was respected and revered by those who knew him. James Hand’s guitar player Chris McElrath agreed to play on this album, along with Brennen Leigh and along with Ags’ instincts and dead-on vocal style, this album is one for the “real” old style country collection.
“In the Corner, at the Table, by the Jukebox” sets out as a honky tonk tune with violin in the forefront, and the song’s rustic honesty is brought to life. “The Pain of Loving You” sounds just like a classic country song you knew from childhood coming back from memory. It hits the target that directly. “Baby, Baby, Don’t Tell Me That” is a song responding to the breakup message found on the welcome mat, reading “go away, Slim.” The steel guitars on this one are archetypal for the genre.
“Shadows Where the Magic Was” has layers of depth, as Ags sings “The shadows where the magic was as the flames they reach out for me / I don’t give a damn what the devil does because at last I am free.” Lots of steel guitar work keeps the authentic feel prominent. “My Witness” is a sort of satire unfolding of playing with your witness standing at the back of the hall by the jukebox, she’s your tryst, while another woman who doesn’t enjoy your music (and is waiting for something else from you) is waiting for you at home. It’s a Texas musician’s affair.
“Midnight Run” sets the guitar tones ultra low with a Western feel and it’s a tale of being “whiskey drunk and under the gun and making a midnight run.” One song on the album was written by Ags as a tribute to James Hand, “Corner of My Street,” a song that was originally set to be a co-write between the two before James passed away. It turns out to fit in just perfectly with the collection.
Ags has that Texas-fatherly vocal tone that immediately signifies the Texas country genre, and James Hand’s songwriting was prototypical, and together it makes an instant classic out of this tribute. James would have had to approve. Visit Ags’ website here: https://agsconnolly.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Ags Connolly “Headed South For A While”
Musicians on the album are Ags Connolly on vocals and acoustic guitar; Chris McElrath on electric guitars; Jake Penrod on pedal steel and lap steel; Beth Chrisman on fiddle; Brennen Leigh on mandolin, and on vocals on ‘Men Like Me Can Fly’; Anna Robinson on bass; and Robert Pokorny on drums.
