John Baumann Guy On A Rock
With all of the musical genres that have crossed my keyboard this year alone – Americana, Southern rock, classic rock, indie, indie country, countrygaze, etc – it seems that I haven’t made much time (or column space) for Country Guy. You know, the guy who writes solid songs, plays them well and with conviction (and without agenda), simply wanting to make good music and (hopefully) make a living out of it. I was reminded that that guy still exists this summer, when I saw John Baumann open for Maggie Antone in Denver. Good music, good band, and a Texan who had stories and life experiences to back up his songs. Baumann’s latest record, Guy On A Rock, builds on that honest, hard-working approach – nothing fancy or fussy, just good country tunes.
Baumann begins Guy On A Rock with a chance for his band to show off. “The Overture” is a crescendoing instrumental full of organ, piano, and some genuine 80s-ish guitar riffs. From there, the Texan moves on to Oklahoma with a love letter to a favorite city of his (and mine). “T-U-L-S-A,” led by acoustic guitar and pedal steel, references the city’s history and people, and Baumann’s memories – “I spent an Oklahoma afternoon/Without a thing to do or plan/Drinking Marshall Sundown Wheat/The finest beer in all the land” (bonus points for referencing a top-shelf brew). Baumann also throws a nod to two big Texas influences in “That’s What Friends Are For” – “When Townes went down, Guy sang from the pulpit/A song for the late troubadour” – but the crux of the track is everyday friendship – consolation for a lost dog, helping find a missing ring, and generally supporting those closest to you instead of shit-talking and diss-tracking them.
If Baumann is to poke a bit of fun at someone, though, chances are the finger will be pointed at himself. “Trauma King” is a swirly look at gratitude – “I got ten toes on the Earth/And not a day goes by/I forget what that’s worth” – in place of sulking – “I will not sit in the corner/Like I am the Trauma King.” And the acoustic shuffle “Susan Up The Street” is a bittersweet acceptance of the reality that the pretty girl next door really ain’t that into you – “But she likes a different flavor/No the odds ain’t in my favor/Sometimes a man just needs to learn that he’s beat.” It’s “Everyman” tunes like this that make Baumann a Country Guy, right down to the album capper. “I Still Believe in America” is a slice of 80s heartland rock in which he’s able to – somehow – find the brightest promise in our darkest days – “I can still hear Guthrie sing/’This land is your land’/And you’ve got to work for everything.” Even with its soaring finale, it’s not performative patriotism – it’s a simple plea to hope that better days are ahead. Earnest songs like this might even convince me.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “What She Used To Love About Me” – This pretty acoustic tune had me at “Tom Petty on a burned CD,” but Baumann digs a little deeper to show that inertia will not, ultimately, satisfy a woman’s heart – “This town’s a place I can’t leave/That’s what she used to love about me.”
Guy On A Rock was produced, engineered and mixed by Brian Douglas Phillips and mastered by Joe Causey, Songs written by John Baumann, with co-writes going to Owen Temple, Rob Pennington and Nick Columbia. Musicians on the album include John Baumann (acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Brian Douglas Phillips (acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, piano, steel guitar, organs, percussion, harmonies), Jacob Hildebrand (electric and acoustic guitars) and Fred Mandujano (percussion, drums).
Go here to stream Guy On A Rock (out October 10): https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/37HVjH1s6b3lNVgoPIbuke?si=aqtjwmcbSsGFuF2sU-XPLA
https://music.apple.com/us/album/guy-on-a-rock/1839455536
Check out tour dates here: https://www.johnbaumannmusic.com/tour-1
Enjoy our previous review here: REVIEW: John Baumann’s “Country Shade” is Nostalgia