Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » James McMurtry: Saint Mary Of The Woods

111

James McMurtry: Saint Mary Of The Woods

By

Sign in to view read count
James McMurtry: Saint Mary Of The Woods
Texas singer/songwriter James McMurtry imparts a high degree of literary insight to (perhaps inadvertently) parallel his famous dad, novelist Larry McMurtry. In any event, the vocalist’s penchant for intertwining his wry wit with cleverly articulated, Southern fried lyricism provides a distinct edge throughout. One component of the artist’s appeal resides within his understated delivery amid his ensemble’s non-intrusive but effective brand of Texas style country-rock. Essentially, McMurtry is an insightful storyteller who utilizes rests between verses. He lets you soak it all in prior to moving on. McMurtry seemingly mirrors an underlying C&W musical approach – where rhyming hooks and finicky notions coalesce with straight four beats and rowdy guitar parts. His band provides sympathetic support while also turning up the volume in spots.

Folks, this isn’t all about the typical twang and schlock oriented stuff, such as lovers' reuniting or - drinking moonshine in the backwoods of Texas. McMurtry’s craft is far beyond that! No doubt, the artist and a few others are reformulating the tried and true into some sort of nouveau spin on familiar territory. Recommended!

Sugar Hill Records

Track Listing

1.Dry River 2.Valley Road 3.Saint Mary Of The woods 4.Out Here In The Middle 5.Lobo Town 6.Broken Bed 7.Red Dress 8.Gulf Road 9.Gone To The Y 10.Choctaw Bingo

Personnel

James McMurtry: guitar, slide guitar, vocals

Album information

Title: Saint Mary Of The Woods | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Sugar Hill Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.