Driving Further From the Heartache

Many people will remember Shawn Mullins for being the only person who name dropped Bob Seger in a Lullaby. Or maybe you just remember the video for that song because it featured an under aged Dominique Swain in a bikini. Either way, the gravely voiced singer seemed to slip back into obscurity just as fast as he escaped from it. But even though he has fallen of most people’s radars, Mullins still continues to release music including the new album, 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor.

The album as a whole sounds as if it could have been recorded long before the advent of the CD, or cassettes and 8-trackd for that matter. Except for Beautiful Wreck that sound like something that should have been included on Bo Bice’s album, and that’s not a good thing. The opener, Blue as You envisions sitting on a porch in a rocker with your guitar while watching the sunset. Lay Down Your Swords, Boy sound like a missing track from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack.

Sometime the old time music doesn’t work out too well as in Cold Black Heart where Mullins utilizes a fiddle but still isn’t able to pull off the country song. Find Love sounds like a poor attempt at a Hawaiian folk song and hearing a folk song about going to Alaska while playing the banjo just seems wrong on Talkin’ Goin’ to Alaska Blues. All Fall Down sounds as if Mullins was re-imagining Jeff Buckley as a bluesman. The album ends with an actual old song, a remake of The Animals House of the Rising Sun an obvious chose when the song is about a place in New Orleans and this album’s title alludes to the area. Only the great thing about the original is the driving organ which is virtually gone from the new version and replaced by some soft acoustic strumming. The song, much like the album is a good idea that just doesn’t hit all the right notes.

Song to Download - Lay Down Your Swords, Boys

9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.