Thriftstore Masterpiece - Trouble Is A Lonesome Town

Generally associated with a string of renowned country songs and duets, Lee Hazlewood is probably best known as the man behind ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. But his solo debut ‘Trouble Is A Lonesome Town’ (1963) saw Hazlewood completely break away from that mould and show off his equally distinctive baritone in a mix of spoken-word narration and sparse, country-drenched ballads.

It was the sinister storytelling of that record that prompted producer Charles Normal to assemble this star-studded musical collective for an orchestrated homage to the underdog of Hazlewood’s works. Featuring notable names such as Frank Black, Isaac Brock, Pete Yorn, Eddie Argos, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Kristin Blix and Charles’ late brother Larry Norman, the ensemble take on the weepy blues tales of the fictional little town as a kind of all-star cover band.

Narrated by Charles’ in-real-life mailman, the collective take the sombre nature of Hazlewood’s original, reworking it with more upbeat and fuller compositions. Larry Norman and Pixies’ Frank Black play the bigger roles here, lending their own husky vocals to the likes of ‘Ugly Brown’, ‘Long Black Train’ and ‘Run Boy Run’ that suit that style of the record perfectly. Even the first verse of ‘Son Of A Gun’ sees Black’s 8-year-old son take on the vocals, bringing extra authenticity to the tale of the kids trying to avoid paying the price for their outlaw parents.

Elsewhere, the album takes a more orchestral side, with ‘We All Make The Flowers Grow’ being backed by trumpets and a tropical beat, ‘Six Feet Of Chain’ becoming a proper foot-stomper with percussion and country twang of guitars and a semi-punk rock rendition of ‘Peculiar Guy’. However, with all the mish-mash of different sounds, the originally succinct cowboy ballads become a ramshackle collection that, while suiting the various characters depicted in the songs, sometimes distracts from the storytelling itself.

What the record is really lacking is Hazlewood’s original gravelly vocals that made ‘Trouble Is A Lonesome Town’ resonate so much in the first place. Without the distinctive baritone and sparse acoustics, it can verge on being a little corny, at times resembling the soundtrack to a theatrical Toy Story spin-off. Nonetheless, it’s a charming re-working that will no doubt bring a smile to the face of any fans of Hazlewood’s original intricate yarns.