Hayes Carll We’re Only Human.
In recent years, Hayes Carll definitely has subscribed to the “catching more flies with honey” theory of truthtelling. Much of his later work is warm and easygoing, but that doesn’t mean there’s not some vinegar in his words when needed. His tenth album, We’re Only Human, has Carll trying, after years of making and playing music, to find a bit of peace for himself. This collection of countryish ambles, with equal doses of humor and the singer’s homey Texas drawl, doesn’t so much answer life’s big questions as it suggests a new approach to asking them.
A big chunk of that peace that Carll is seeking comes from the idea of togetherness, and that’s borne out in the album’s title song, which leads off the record. The piano-driven (via Trevor Nealon) tune doesn’t hide from our all-too-human foibles – “It’s hard not to feel like/You’re failing the test” – but also points out that we are, ever so slowly, evolving – “Just a few million years from that monkey business/And a little bit of stardust before” – ideally (though not assuredly) toward something better. “Stay Here Awhile,” written with MC Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger) is a bit more uptempo, with a plucky mandolin line from Noah Jeffries, and it urges staying in place, if only for a moment or so – “I spent so long climbing the hill/But I only started movin’ when I got still.”
Over his near-quarter century career, Carll has been known for a dagger-sharp sense of humor. While he breaks it out less frequently now, it hasn’t dulled one bit. There are examples both large and small on We’re Only Human. For fans of Carll’s sharpest jabs (“She Left Me for Jesus” and “KMAG YOYO” being the best examples), this album’s first single. “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle)” is one to home in on. The fiddle-driven (Jeffries, again) tune, written with Aaron Raitiere, has Carll cleverly rhyming Delores, rainforest and “deevorace” in one verse, but the vinegar seeps from lines like “The world’s gettin’ turned on by assholes and racists.” Progress depends on perspective, and not everyone is evolving at the same rate (or in the same direction). But the humor is gentler – and the outlook more generous – on other places across the album. “High” is floaty with flute and flugelhorn (Sterling Steffen and Wyatt Corder), but the “high” comes more from inner peace than herbal enhancement – “I have chased a feeling all these years/Blocked by insecurities and fears/Oh it feels so good as all that disappears.” “Good People (Thank Me)” features a walking piano line and begins with a political odd couple that recalls his classic “Another Like You,” but the song truly hits its mark when Carll drills down on his own insecurities – “I know a guy/He’s always worried/He’s in no hurry/To try and see/How he might have/A couple issues/Well I’ll be honest/That guy is me.” “He” (be it Hayes, or any one of us) finds simple ways to get along – something as simple, in one verse, as a joint fondness for apples. And this is what We’re Only Human is mostly about – messages that aren’t necessarily new (be yourself, enjoy where you are, try not to hate your neighbor), but told with Carll’s easygoing elegance, they’re messages worth hearing once again.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle)” – In addition to the sharp wit, this gives Carll’s ace band, including co-producer Gordy Quist (Band of Heathens) a chance to shine: mandolin and fiddle from Jeffries and pedal steel from Geoff Queen, along with lotsa riffs from Quist and Brian Wright, all stand out.
We’re Only Human was produced by Gordy Quist and Hayes Carll, mixed by Jim Vollentine, engineered by Vollentine and Quist and mastered by Chris Longwood. All songs written by Carll (co-writing credits go to MC Taylor, Aaron Raitiere, John Osborne and TJ Osborne). Musicians on the album include Carll (vocals, guitars), Quist (guitars, vocals), Brian Wright (guitars), Jared Reynolds (bass, background vocals), Mike Meadows (drums, percussion), Trevor Nealon (keyboards), Geoff Queen (pedal steel), Noah Jeffries (mandolin, fiddle), Sterling Steffen (clarinet), Wyatt Corder (trumpet, flugelhorn), Paul Deemer (trombone), Matt Tedder (guitars), Ed Jurdi (vocals), Aaron Raitiere (background vocals), Shovels and Rope (vocals), Darrell Scott (vocals), Nicole Atkins (vocals), Ray Wylie Hubbard (vocals), Kelley Mickwee (background vocals) and David Jimenez (Dobro).
Go here to order We’re Only Human (out August 8): https://shop.hayescarll.com/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.hayescarll.com/tour
