Eats Away the Night

Amazon.com
If he's among the most underappreciated singer/songwriter in America, it's Butch Hancock's own fault. Never taking his own recordings very seriously; for years he's simply taped live performances or similarly lo-fi, impromptu events in a studio and then released them on his own poorly distributed label. This is the first Hancock album to be thoughtfully conceived, carefully recorded with a rehearsed band and efficiently distributed, and the results throw the best possible light on Hancock's raucous sense of humor and his passionate embrace of the world's most far-fetched possibilities.

--Eats Away the Night was produced by Gurf Morlix, who brought a similarly understated folk-rock to Lucinda Williams' albums, with musicians drawn from Williams' current band and Joe Ely's old group. The producer and players add rhythmic muscle and harmonic flesh to Hancock's songs without ever getting in the way of the words, which are the main attraction. Sometimes Hancock is slyly witty, as when he complains of a woman whose "paid vacations always fell on April Fools"; at other times, he finds the words for shapeless fears, as when he warns that "time never does make things right or wrong; it just eats away the night." Four of his older songs ("If You Were a Bluebird," "Boxcars," "One Kiss" and "Baby Be Mine") finally receive worthy arrangements, and the seven new songs include such winners as the title tune, the Dylanesque blues "Junkyard in the Sun" and the live-and-let-live anthem, "To Each His Own." --Geoffrey Himes

Tracks:

To Each His Own
Moanin' Of The Midnight Train
Eileen
One Kiss
Pumpkineater
If You Were A Bluebird
Junkyard In The Sun
Boxcars
Baby Be Mine
Welcome To The Real World Kid
Eats Away The Night

Amazon.com

If he's among the most underappreciated singer/songwriter in America, it's Butch Hancock's own fault. Never taking his own recordings very seriously; for years he's simply taped live performances or similarly lo-fi, impromptu events in a studio and then released them on his own poorly distributed label. This is the first Hancock album to be thoughtfully conceived, carefully recorded with a rehearsed band and efficiently distributed, and the results throw the best possible light on Hancock's raucous sense of humor and his passionate embrace of the world's most far-fetched possibilities.

--Eats Away the Night was produced by Gurf Morlix, who brought a similarly understated folk-rock to Lucinda Williams' albums, with musicians drawn from Williams' current band and Joe Ely's old group. The producer and players add rhythmic muscle and harmonic flesh to Hancock's songs without ever getting in the way of the words, which are the main attraction. Sometimes Hancock is slyly witty, as when he complains of a woman whose "paid vacations always fell on April Fools"; at other times, he finds the words for shapeless fears, as when he warns that "time never does make things right or wrong; it just eats away the night." Four of his older songs ("If You Were a Bluebird," "Boxcars," "One Kiss" and "Baby Be Mine") finally receive worthy arrangements, and the seven new songs include such winners as the title tune, the Dylanesque blues "Junkyard in the Sun" and the live-and-let-live anthem, "To Each His Own." --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

superb collection of Butch's songs.......2000-05-01

Butch Hancock probably sounds more like Bob Dylan than anyone else in my "dylanites" series. That doesn't sound good -- being simply derivative is rarely a virtue. But like the others in the series, Butch is wonderfully creative and not simply an epigone -- you quickly see that he has his own unique vision, even as he occasionally turns a strongly Dylanesque vocal phrase, as in "Moanin of the Midnight Train". (I met Butch once, and took a look at his amazing organic architectural sketches -- clearly the product of a fevered imagination.) The closest thing to that unfettered creativity here is "Pumpkineater," a song of recrimination and vaguely supernatural menace. There are versions of "If You Were a Bluebird" and "Boxcars," covered so well by Joe Ely; the great, simple lyric to "Junkyard in the Sun"; and the closer, "Eats Away the Night," (Time, that is), which almost pushes this album to 5 stars all by itself.

If you appreciate great lyrics, idiosyncratic vocal styles, and a social conscience -- the genre founded by Bob in the 60s -- check out my "Dylanites of Recent Times" list, as well as several more reviews. Some of the others included are Greg Brown, Stan Ridgway, Peter Case, Steve Earle, Jim Page, Bill Morrissey, Tom Petty, Chris Smither, Butch Hancock, Elvis Costello, Dave Alvin, and Richard Thompson.

Butch Hancock is the Bob Dylan of Texas.......1998-12-08

Butch Hancock is the Bob Dylan of Texas. There is nothing better than Butch live. And recordings of Butch live never quite match the live experience. But this (non-live) album tops all recorded events to date. Unquestionably the best version of "If You Were a Bluebird" I've heard.

Music Album:

Music Album