By Brian Rock
Legendary Texas troubadour Dale Watson has been called many things from Honky-Tonk hero to Ameripolitan ambassador to just plain crazy. But now he wants you to call him by his new nickname on his latest release, Call Me Lucky.
Although Watson now splits his time between Austin, TX and Memphis, TN, it might be more accurate to say he splits his time between 2019 and 1957. A dyed in the wool disciple of Sun Records, Dale combines the Country and Rockabilly stylings of the Million Dollar Quartet and adds his own modern, electric embellishments to create a thoroughly original “Ameripolitan” sound. His dedication to that magical era is evidenced by the fact that he recorded the album at Sam Phillips Recording studios, and by the fact that he still manages to make a pompadour look cool.
Dale’s Country side comes through twangy and proud on the Hank Williams inspired, “Haul Off and Do It.” Giving a modern voice to Hank’s Country Blues, Dale sings, “I’ve had it up to here. It’s more than I can bear. I’m about to say, ‘Just screw it’. So, if it’s your plan to get another man, why don’t you haul off and do it?” Steel guitar and harmonica perfectly punctuate the classic downhearted sentiment.
“Mama’s Smile,” and “You Weren’t Supposed to Fee This Good,” also take you on a steel-pedaled time machine trip. But he saves his most poignant moment for “Johnny and June,” his tender tribute to Country’s royal couple featuring a duet with Celine Lee. Singing, “Like a song would miss music, like a singer’d miss songs, like Johnny missed June. That’s how I’d miss you,” Watson and Lee contemplate the devastation of living without the one you love.
Watson switches to Rockabilly mode on the toe-tapping title song as well as “Who Need’s This Man” and “Tupelo Mississippi & A ’57 Fairlane.” The latter of which features a horn section and a driving piano riff that make you want to put the top down and crank it up to eleven as you make your pilgrimage to the birthplace of the King. But in all honesty, it’s difficult to tell exactly when he switches from Country to Rockabilly as most of his songs have elements of both – Like his surf rock infused tribute to the farmin’ trucker (or maybe he’s a truckin’ farmer) “David Buxkemper.”
Dale Watson considers himself lucky to make a living doing what he loves. The rest of us can consider ourselves lucky that he does it so well.
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Brian Rock
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