Joelton Mayfield – Crowd Pleaser
Nashville’s Joelton Mayfield has spent the better part of nearly a decade working on his debut, the just released Crowd Pleaser. By 2021 he was finally set to make this record a reality. He and his bandmates moved into a family barn in Alabama and started setting up an impromptu studio but just says before they were set to hit the record button, the love of Mayfield’s life, and soon to be co-producer, broke up with him.
Apparently being numbed with a little booze and sporting a broken heart were the ideal conditions needed as he and the band entered the barn three weeks after he suffered a breakup and started recording these songs built around trauma and hypocrisy. The result is 10 earnest, heart-on-your-sleeve tracks blended perfectly with a soundtrack of folk and Americana and a little bit of rock.
In the tradition of artists like Nick Cave, Bright Eyes, Sturgill Simpson, and Brandi Carlile, Crowd Pleasure focuses on the disillusionment of religion. Mayfield – who was heavily involved with his local church – realized at some point he was starting to become disenchanted with what he saw as bigotry, misogyny, and hypocrisy. You can hear this disillusionment in the opening track, “Red Beam,” a beautiful song that sounds almost hymn like, with Mayfield’s plaintive vocals singing over a soft organ.
You can also hear him wrestling with religion on the equally beautiful ballad “Jacob Dreamed a Staircase,” another stark narrative, this time backed by subtle acoustic guitar. “Speechwriter,” with it’s steady beat, and strong musical flourishes, also casts a critical eye on institutions, accentuating the powerful lyrics with slide guitar throughout.
“Turpentine (You Know the One),” one of the only straight-forward rock songs on the album also happens to be one of the strongest tracks here. The infectious, upbeat number focuses on the music and the industry behind it and manages to be both a love letter and critique. Cleverly, he quotes other bands like the Mountain Goats and Wilco throughout the song.
The album closes much the way it began with “Mouth Breather,” a raw and stripped-down meditation on vulnerability and judgment, brings everything full circle with quiet emotional force.
Find more information here on his website: https://www.joeltonmayfield.com
