Scotty Alan

A lot of musicians start out playing punk music.
Not surprising as there are many who have a need to make music and say what is in their heart before they are musically competent or developed. Not too many develop their talents to the point where they are making music this good though.
Alan still has the burning emotions to tell of but he now has a musical language to put it over in and he says more in this 45 minute, 15 song, album than many do in a career.

He starts out with ‘Good-bye’, a plaintive country number with a wonderful fiddle behind his hoarse and throaty vocal and from there every track tells its own tale.
Ancient love songs like ‘Your Hero?’ or the rootin’ tootin’ country of ‘Ain’t Much’. ‘Dam’ is a delightful love ballad of unsatisfied, one-sided, love with keyboards underpinning the heartfelt vocals care of The Faces Ian McLagan.
‘Barn Dance’ should promise to be an uproarious blast of a number but instead he tone is more of the end of the dance than the peak – a metaphor for life on the farm, maybe?

The production is excellent, courtesy of Bernie Larsen (Ricky Lee Jones, Jackson Browne & Lucinda Williams) and he has a fine cast of players helping him out – the aforementioned Ian McLagan plus guys like David Lindley, Butch Norton and Jorge Calderon.
But the musicians could only perform given the material to work with and the songs are the stars here.

I must admit to not having heard Scotty Alan before but if this is indeed his debut it is a wonder – a huge talent in the making.