Yourstruly EP by Dale Hollow featuring The Long Con | Album Review
Dale Hollow brings in The Long Con to further his lore on his second EP.
For Dale Hollow, the character is everything. Similar to fellow country crooner Orville Peck, Hollow makes it difficult to know the man behind the legend (so to speak). The New York City native says it all with his pending trademark, Country Music Superstar. You can get a good taste of who Dale is from his Mundane interview:
“I am in the business of making money — the more money I can make, the better I am. I was in an internet cafe one time a few years back, and I was reading about the music industry, and something in the article said that the most profitable music, in the digital space, is country music…your’s truly likes to be as honest as possible when it comes to songwriting. ‘They’re only words unless they’re true.’ They say that country music is three chords and the truth. If that’s the case, then your’s truly’s music is drenched like mud on a boot… A lot of times yours truly just writes about things that all of us can know. I have a song called ‘It’s Always Good To Tell Someone You Love ‘Em’ — even if they might not love you back, you’re being open and vulnerable… I’ve also written a song about faking deaths to get out of relationships — I mean who hasn’t done that? You’ve also got age old adages such as betting on sports and coming up short, and the sort of repercussions that has on one’s life.” — Dale Hollow via Mundane (2020)
Dale is less the country crooner of Orville Peck and more a caricature of an outlaw country singer. His backing band, The Long Con, does a fantastic job adding that rock flair that gives his sound the proper gravitas.
We open up this project with the ruckus western prelude of “Introduction.” The Long Con gives the song a gritty energy that tears forth from the get-go. We’re immediately hit with Dale’s character. He’s here to attempt greatness again, “I find myself in the studio, once again/ This time with Marc Whitmore and The Long Con/ Here’s hoping because this one does the trick/ Otherwise there’s not much else left for me out there.” This gives us the first taste of Hollow’s fame and fortune-driven persona who is apt for poor decisions.
The first full song we get off this project is the rock-oriented “Fools Rush In.” His dirtbag character works well alongside the sound he has chosen for the song. He’s wasted all their saving on sports bets (something he chastises himself for counting out Tom Brady for). Now, any semblance of a financially stable life has been dashed to the winds. Hollow weakly pleads for his lover to stay by promising that one day he’ll make her an honest woman, “But if it/ Will keep you/ From leaving/ Me…/ I promise one day/ I’m gonna try and buy you/ Everything/ That you want/ Just not right now/ No I can’t buy that ring right now!/ But before you go and curse me out…/ Think of the old Elvis song/ Something about fools rushing in all the time.” While I like the western jangle of the band, I am hit or miss on Dale’s voice here. I wish there was a little more dynamics to it. It feels a little flat to me as it stands.
“No Shape to Be in Love” is a bit more indie-rock meets country western. Dale blends his sense of humor with this sound to conjure up the image of his wild younger days. Again, Hollow’s sleazy character has him too old and out of shape to be chasing love like he was in his youth, “But those were back in my glory days/ And I’d hate to admit it/ But I don’t think I’d outpace your father/ Even if I wanted, because the good Lord/ She knows I’m in no shape to be in love.” His persona really makes the song. I think Dale’s low affectation works much better here than on the prior track. Though it still feels a bit like a character, I think the mixture of humor and country-western influences heighten the story being told.
I really like the humor and sound that makeup “Tippin’”. It’s chaotic in the best way possible. The Long Con brings the furious country rock and Hollow weaves a truly otherworldly tale of getting messed up and going out cow tipping. We get the voice of God calling out Dale on his redneck antics, “As I made my approach the sky broke open and a voice said/ ‘Dale what the hell do you think you’re doing?’/ Well the voice was God and he said ‘Dale Hollow/ You really gonna waste your whole life going out in the field going cow tipping?’/ I said ‘You’re damn right, it’s a real good time/ And if you don’t mind me I’m going to go and tip this cow…/ Right now!’” This quickly devolves into being abducted by aliens. It reminds me of a country-rock take on a Tenacious D song. I absolutely love it. Everything comes together fantastically.
We end the EP with the soft sway of the waltz “Until Next Time”. This is the standard Western waltz that conjures up sullen emotions. It’s a simple 3 piece band sound. I do appreciate the live sound coming from The Long Con. I do think the song overstays its welcome. Coming in at six and a half minutes, it could easily be cut by 2 or some minutes and feel much more concise. It also feels a little bizarre lyrically. Dale starts by coloring this goodbye in the sense of death but closes it more like you would a story. I think the song acts more like Hollow’s character having an existential crisis as he closed out the record. After relistening to the song the beginning, “We’re all gonna die/ Just give it a little bit of time/ This life that we live, well they say it’s a gift/ But Lord knows, I’m so scared of dying,” this feels a bit more obvious in retrospect.
This little taste of Dale Hollow’s world has me interested to see how his sound has evolved on his upcoming debut album Hack of the Year. Similar to my feelings for Orville Peck, there are things I like and dislike about what Hollow brings to the table. His biggest strength is his humor. Dale does a fantastic job selling the dirtbag, fame-junkie persona to life. “Tippin’” is the zenith of this. The mix of wild vocals and ruckus music takes this crazy tale of cow tipping to new heights. What keeps me at bay a bit is Dale’s character. It sounds a little too much like a costume here on songs like “Fools Rush In” and “Until Next Time” to really grab me. I am happy to hear Hollow refine his sound more on subsequent releases. As it stands, it’s a good introduction. If you liked Orville Peck’s debut, you’ll enjoy this release. My overall breakdown on Yourstruly:
Loved it: “Tippin’”
Liked it: “Introduction”, “Fools Rush In” &“No Shape to Be in Love”
Disliked it: “Until Next Time”
My overall rating: 5.0 out of 10.0
