James Hyland | Western | (independent)
Four stars out of Five
Videos by American Songwriter
A well respected singer/songwriter who hails from Austin, Texas, James Hyland imbues honesty and integrity into every note he shares, providing creativity and credence all at the same time. Yet despite his expressive vocals and emotional input, he boasts a certain cynical streak as well. Not surprisingly then, Western finds him maintaining that artistic attitude through a series of songs that suggest — what else — a rollicking western theme. If they had been released during an earlier era, these songs might well have fit the soundtrack for a sprawling cowboy epoch, especially given the fact that the song titles are both vivid and descriptive. Indeed, “The Edge of Comancheria,” “Texas Ranger,” “Today’s a Good Day to Die” and “White Men in the Black Hills” clearly set the scene. Likewise, with 19 songs in the set, it’s an expansive effort as well.
Still, it’s clear that Hyland has concerns that weigh on him as well. “I’ve got the lights in the dashboard to calm me down,” he croons on the tellingly-titled “Dark and Weary World,” a song that shares the uncertainties that await just beyond the horizon. Those melancholic musings also extend to the solitary stance of “Hill Country Nights,” an offering that extends Hyland’s downcast disposition through a somewhat dire declaration.
At the same time, Hyland manages to maintain an unimpassioned attitude as well, one that’s occasionally at odds with his seemingly hapless plight. The shimmer and sway that accompanies “Today’s a Good Day to Die,” “You’ve Come to the Right Place,” “Top Floor,” and “I Was Never Lost” and “Swing It Your Way” to varying degrees seems to suggest he’s equally comfortable being the nonchalant observer as he is the sensitive seeker. Suffice fit to say, both guises fit him well.
There’s other evidence as well, from the seductive “Nashville Song,” an off-kilter ode to the sounds associated with that city of the same name, to “The Ballad of Eddie Mullet” a breezy ramble that negates the menacing demeanor of an otherwise stereotypical outlaw. Likewise, when Hyland offers his listeners a sweet serenade like “Weather on the Wood,” it’s easy to forget the somewhat insurgent attitude he shares elsewhere on the album.
All in all, Western is a decidedly evocative effort, one plied with imagination and intelligence. Taken in tandem, it could be considered an awesome aural adventure.