Union Made (label)
27 February 2012 (released)
05 February 2012
There are albums that positively scream that you should consider the hardships of the ‘salt of the earth’ – the farmer, the steel worker or the miner: ‘Joe Neverdonewrong’ happy to live life’s burden to make it better for ‘you’.
Unfortunately, what I got from this album was a whinging ‘Joe NevergotwhatIwasdue’ – “A whiskey farmer trying to grow champagne”.
This is beautifully played, and James Low has a delightful voice. Dave Camp’s guitar is excellent and the pedal steel and Dobro from Paul Brainard bring a dose of unabashed country sadness to the album but it just doesn’t lift above the hard feelings and depression and I really had hoped for more.
The lead character here just doesn’t have any hope left in him – life has battered away and forced an ordinary man with extraordinary dreams into his dotage with all his dreams unfulfilled.
The one track here that really lifts it, 'Medicine Show' still talks of lives being changed for the worse but at least with some charm.
I wanted to love this album and to feel for the whiskey farmer but in the end I just felt nothing for him.
