Alt-folk troubadour delves into orchestral territory to find balance in a darkening world.
The adjective “Waits-ian” (with reference to Tom Waits) is one that is often applied to performers who gruffly operate outside of the musical mainstream and Micah P Hinson, in his career, is one who might well have been thus categorised with his close mic-ed rich and ragged vocals and sparse, rhythmic instrumentation, typified by the songs on his 2022 release “I lie to you”.
With “The Tomorrow Man”, Hinson takes a musical turn into richer – possibly smoother – territory with the addition of (mainly) orchestral string backing. The opening ‘Oh, Sleepyhead’ has a triumphalist orchestral arrangement, whereas ‘One day I will get my revenge’ wanders more into Father John Misty territory with its reliance on narrative and catchy melody.
‘Think of me’ utilises brass to add a tonally melancholy underscore – and does so beautifully, whereas ‘Mothers and Daughters’ features picked guitar and glockenspiel-type sounds interspersed with strident strings. Lyrically, it’s a vibrant paean to humanity before the more laid-back ‘Take it slow’, which begins like earlier Hinson in style – sparse and confessional – before the introduction of barroom piano, and sad brass from the deeper members of that same orchestral family. The dynamic build of instruments through the course of the song adds gravity to the personal sentiment.
There’s a mood and tonal shift on the mariachi-flavoured ‘The Last Train To Texas’ – exuberant, brassy riffs punctuate the banjo-driven, clickety-clack train beat. That Latin flavour is maintained to a degree in the rhythmic insistence of ‘Hallow’ which obtusely seems to be sung as “hollow” throughout – it certainly raises issues of etymology and pronunciation, carrying a double-edged meaning of the duality of feeling, i.e. the refrain of “my love for you is hollow” – or is it “hallow”?
If one were to ask an AI search engine which artist springs to mind when a deep voice, orchestral arrangements and sensitive lyrics were combined, then Richard Hawley would surely come up as one of the results – Hinson manages to cook up something quite different with the same ingredients, but ‘I don’t know God’ is probably the closest that this release gets to Hawley territory, echoing his instrumental work like ‘Cheap Spanish Whine’.
Hinson is on terrific vocal form on the ‘I Thought I Was The One‘ which utilises elements of the melody of the Pogues’ ‘I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day’ and a rambunctious and swaggering delivery. Shane MacGowan’s influence can also be felt on the reflective late-night ‘I Was Just Standing There’ which, in a different decade and in a different metaverse, could easily have found a home on a Frank Sinatra EP.
‘Walls’ adds an extra layer of widescreen Technicolour sound and relationship-focused emotion before the book-ending comedown of ‘Oh, Sleepyhead (Reprise)’. This revisiting is almost a hangover reinvention of the opener – the arrangement is more ad hoc, and vocally, Hinson’s delivery is more conversational and reflective. “We don’t need to feel this sad” – there’s hope and humour in amongst the darkness. It’s a perfect thematic denouement to an album where Micah P. Hinson is a man bravely looking to find balance in an ever-darkening world.
Very enjoyable; indeed, enough joy for me to investigate further. Thanks Nick.
Would have been more impressed that the author of what is really nothing more than a predictable puff piece had made some reference to Hinson’s ‘interesting’ current and
past public political pronouncements….. who can ever forget his accusation in 2010 that Obama has ‘killed the American dream’ by wanting to improve the public health policies of the USA?
So had to stop myself guffawing at the last sentence …. ‘A man bravely looking to find balance in an ever-darkening world’….
Still waiting for someone in this publication – which purports to be ‘progressive’ – to have the balls to check what Hinson is really thinking now when he is sharing his ‘vibrant paean to humanity’…
Something like: “Micah P. Hinson has hardly shied away from controversy and sometimes difficult allusions – and also a lot more than allusions in a life spotted with incidents including a severe back injury, a violent road accident, a love for drugs, a hate of drugs, time spent behind bars and more. He is a compelling artist, not someone you’re likely to always agree with, an inventive lyricist and a libertarian to what can seem to be the point of idiocy. A bundle of contradictions.“
The interesting thing here is that this latest album does appear to reflect a change of point of view and a repudiation of much that he has previously stood for. Will it stick? Time will tell.