Jeff McCord on the month’s new releases
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Delirium Tremolos
Philo/Rounder
When word arrived that Dallas-reared Redneck Mother RAY WYLIE HUBBARD was releasing an album made up almost entirely of covers, anticipation set in. Hearing artists break from their modus operandi to creatively interpret the works of others can be an unexpected treat. But to paraphrase Groucho Marx: I had a wonderful time—this wasn’t it. Full of plodding tempos and overlong arrangements, DELIRIUM TREMOLOS (Philo/Rounder) summons a lethargic fog that even good songs by the likes of Eliza Gilkyson, James McMurtry, and Gurf Morlix can’t seem to penetrate. Hubbard surprised everyone when he revitalized his dormant career in the nineties. He’s since defied expectations with a series of recordings, each sounding more and more like a man tired of conventional Texas singer-songwriter fare. This time, though, he just seems tired.
Isidro López
15 More Original Hits
Arhoolie
Texas lost a founding father of tejano when Bishop native ISIDRO LOPEZ passed away last August. López, whose half-Apache blood earned him the nickname El Indio, was a born star; his chiseled good looks, seductively warm sax sound, and impossibly mellifluous voice destined him for fame. Starting on the saxophone in theforties, he was leading his own band by the mid-fifties. 15 MORE ORIGINAL HITS (Arhoolie) is a second winning collection of songs from his pioneering first decade in the music business, when he seamlessly married jaunty accordion-based conjunto to a smooth big-band sound. It’s easy to see how his passionate performances reached a large audience eager for something new. Songs like “Traigo Mi 45” have the lilt of big-band swing; others, like “Donde Estás,” flirt with early rock. López croons over them all like a Hispanic Sinatra.
Dao Strom
Self
Like the singer Gillian Welch, Austinite DAO STROM’s stark and lonesome music seems to hail from the Appalachians, though both she and Welch were raised in California. The similarities end there, however. Strom was born in Saigon (she fled the country in her mother’s arms) and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and an author. Her first novel, Grass Roof, Tin Roof, was published in 2003; now comes her modest and intriguing debut CD, SEND ME HOME (self-released; available at cdbaby.com). Strom’s earnest voice carries songs that often have little else going on instrumentally. The tunes are imbued with a country sorrow, maybe a bit too much of it. There are some really enjoyable moments here, even if the cumulative effect of so many drowned babies and broken hearts eventually takes it toll.
