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Review: 'HALE, TOMMY'
'Magnificent Bastard'   

-  Label: 'Holiday Disaster Records'
-  Genre: 'Alt/Country' -  Release Date: '30th September 2016'

Our Rating:
This is Tommy Hale's first album for 8 years and he came over from Dallas to record IT in Wiltshire with members of The Redlands Palomino Company and The Snakes.

The opening number, Magnificent Disaster jumps out of the speakers like a long lost Willy Deville song. It has an intriguing story at the centre of it and a decent bluesy undertow. Homecoming Mum, then, slows things down as he sings a song for, well, a homecoming mum rather than the homecoming queen of his youth and he still misses her, it seems.

Simple Song is a bit too simple as it becomes a bit background and easy to ignore. Can I Lay Next To You? however got my attention by adding what sounds like a xylophone to his slow impassioned plea for some loving. Judging by the music he wants to be a slow, gentle lover.

Backburner is more of a full on rocker with some cool keyboard synth sounds at the start on a song that reminds me a lot of Chuck Prophet circa Soap and Water. Damn, I love those keyboard noises when they come back in this song sounds perfect for radio play and to drive to.

Just How She died goes a little bit Dwight Yoakam on this tale of despair and the question of how did she end up dead like that or is she even dead. A clever song with some cool piano parts and some cool backing vocals from Madison King.

Sonrisas y Sunshine is all about then bass and drums at the beginning of this song of lust and yearning as he tries to seduce the woman of his desire over a western, almost like the gunfight is about to happen kind of backing.

Save Me (The Ballad Of Odell Barnes Jr) is Tommy's telling of the true story of how one of his High School friends ended up on Death row convicted of murder. It's a plangent, mournful song with plenty of questions being asked as to if he did it or not and how it affects those that are left behind. A mighty song that will get to anyone who has lived through anything similar. For me it reminded me of running into a convicted double axe murderer who hugged my mum like a long lost friend once they let him out. It was a very strange day indeed in my life as he was the first murderer I ever knew and the first time I'd met someone post-incarceration like that. Tommy's ex pal never got to get out again though.

The album closes with Hope She'll Be Happier: a slowed-down and raw version of the Bill Withers classic sung to an ex you're still in love with who wants nothing more to do with you. This breaks the song down to its bare bones and the sparseness of it works really well.


Find out more at Tommy Hale online
  author: simonovitch

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HALE, TOMMY - Magnificent Bastard