Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth
Country music isn’t what it used to be.
It’s the cliché heard around aging southern circles of country music devotees. Today’s country radio stations may provide some validity to that assertion, but a recent wave of artists has begun bringing country music back to its roots, and riding the crest of that wave is one Sturgill Simpson.
Simpson’s sound reminds us of the outlaw country movement, a time of, I’ll say it, LEGENDS — Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. Simpson’s breakthrough, Grammy nominated album, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music (2014), showcased himself as an up-and-comer and left many anticipating a follow-up to his nostalgic sound. Metamodern touched on subjects such as love, philosophy, drugs and religion that made many view him as a possible savior of a style of music that, in recent years, has had those southern circles rolling their eyes and praying for a rebel messiah. Listening to Simpson is like a love child that was a result of a weird threesome between Waylon Jennings, Keith Whitley, and Randy Travis.
Now, with his long-anticipated follow up, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Simpson takes us into personal storm, much like Metamodern, but now into the depths of his soul.
The album opens with “Welcome To Earth (Pollywog),” an ode to his firstborn child, where he expresses a love that one can only understand if they are a parent themselves (and have been in the Navy). It starts as a tender ballad, but explodes into this southern soul song that sets the tone for the record. If you’re looking for a clone of his first two albums, put this down RIGHT. NOW. Right off the bat, the production is different. Producer Dave Cobb is gone, and Simpson produced this album entirely on his own. The outlaw tone is still here, but it’s seasoned with good soul a la Otis Redding, or Elvis Presley. And just when you think you’ve settled in, you’re cradled into into a soft cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” that will have some listeners experiencing flashbacks to the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody”.
While one would think this album is all blissful and rosy, it’s really not. “Sea Stories” is about a sailor who becomes drug addicted while overseas, where the singer takes direct aim at Washington:
Flying high beats dying for lies in a politician’s war.
Likewise, “Call To Arms” is a scathing indictment of our nation’s foreign policy, pointing out how veterans are homeless and can’t take care of themselves after they return home. Even approaching this dark and sensitive subject matter, Simpson delivers like only he can: directly and honestly. This album will leave you speechless on your first listen, initially because it’s not what you’d expect from a troubadour like Simpson, but the blunt way he delivers these tales of experience and caution will leave you dissecting with lyrics folded with dual-meanings. I plead, take the fantastic voyage that is A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. The best news about this journey is you never have to get off the ship.
