Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus – Two True Loves
This gets off to a feel-good start with “I Want It All,” with all its retro folky enthusiasm well-oiled & smoking like a backwoods still. The vocals don’t have a wide range, but that doesn’t compromise the ambitious & coherent results. What follows has an Everly Brothers sparkle despite the warm lo-fi vocals that make the songs sound more sincere than a rambunctious outpouring. Vocalist Jim Patton (acoustic guitar) has a Steve Forbert-type voice (“Two True Loves” & “Hard Times”) & that’s why it sounds appealing within its subtle melodic confines.
14 parts make up Two True Loves (Drops Sept12/Berkalin Records/43:22) produced by Ron Flynt (bass/keys/acoustic guitar/harmonies) in Austin, TX. The songs are well-written & light on the mind. It’s a relaxing listen on a good stereo with a glass of wine, hot pretzels, maduro cigars & feet up, chilling out. Jim wisely colors his vocalizing with female voices (Jim’s wife Sherry Brokus & BettySoo) who harmonize under the surface. Quite effective, with folky flavors that are accessible.
Some tunes are typical — you’ve heard them before. But it’s the personal touch these musicians slather on lightly in the arrangements that doesn’t make them sound so glossed-up with entertainment grease. The music’s down-home, sweet & earthy. They evoke the country flavor that Jerry Garcia tried to recreate with his Jerry Garcia Band & Old and In the Way. The music delves into middle-class life, hardships, relationships, dreams of the everyday man, humor, & desires. The type of rustic music that the late John Hartford often explored & in some respects was touched upon by songwriters like Guy Clark, Tim Hardin & Townes van Zandt.
While not all songs will resonate with everyone, there isn’t a bad grape in the bunch. Each is well-written, honestly performed & filled with the best qualities of backcountry folk music. Maybe not as traditional as Appalachian music, but certainly a distant cousin. I could hear a singer like Glenn Yarborough (“Baby the Rain Must Fall”) or The Rooftop Singers with Erik Darling cover many of these wonderfully rendered tunes.
Some tunes would be genuine Nashville country hits like “Why Did You Leave Me For Him?” This has George Jones written all over it. At first listen, some would think this was just a backwoods group singing for themselves. But a closer listen reveals some dynamics to their showcase, which is evident on “That Cup of Coffee We Never Had,” “Caught In the Headlights,” & the wonderful “Hard Times.” All excellent.
Highlights –“I Want It All,” “Two True Loves,” “Leave Me Alone,” “Why Did You Leave Me For Him?” “That Cup of Coffee We Never Had,” “Caught In the Headlights,” & “Hard Times.”
Musicians – Scrappy Jud Newcomb (lead guitar), & John Chipman (drums).
Color image courtesy of their website gallery. CD @ Bandcamp & https://pattonbrokus.com/index.html
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus “Harbortowne”