Latest album release from OK-based singer-songwriter is just, er, okay.
“American Stories Major Chords” is Norman, Oklahoma-based singer songwriter and former architect Beau Jennings’ third album with The Tigers, released on Oklahoma-based label Black Mesa Records. This follows 2013’s “Sweet Action” and “Heavy Light” from 2022. Additionally, the combo has released a bunch of non-album singles; in a recent interview Jennings told AUK “There’s a million decisions to make putting together an album. But in between records, sometimes you want to have new music out there for folks to listen to. By the time you’ve put it out and promoted it, then it’s time to talk about a new record and that single might feel like old news. It’s like, let’s move on.”
As a songwriter, Jennings in 2017 won the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Songwriting Competition held alongside the annual ‘WoodyFest’ in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma, for his song ‘No One Can Destroy a Song‘. Regarding the songs on his latest opus, Jennings admits that most of the songs here are about Norman, a town he moved to in order to attend college and he has spent much of his life there since. Jennings states “These songs are stories, they’re not about me, although some elements of my life are in most songs I write.” Listening to the lyrics, you can see that he chooses to sing about real life as he sees it. For obvious influences, you need look no further than the likes of Messrs. Springsteen, Petty and Tweedy to know where he’s coming from. Jennings also spent some time living in Brooklyn, during which time he fronted americana rock band Cheyenne; he has also released four solo records.
But don’t go thinking that “American Stories Major Chords” is a one man effort; The Tigers are a well-known entity within Oklahoma and beyond, and they provide more than appropriate accompaniment to let Jennings’ songs be heard to their best effect. Current membership reads as guitarist Chase Kerby, Dustin Ragland on the drums, Chris Wiser (piano and organ) and Michael Trepagnier who plays bass.
‘Oklahoma Heat‘ kicks off the proceedings in gentle fashion, the song featuring piano and acoustic guitar. Lyrically it depicts a challenging situation, “Billboards advertising better jobs and better pay, You’ll see ’em as you’re heading on vacation out of state, But we ain’t going nowhere til I get this thing paid off, I made a deal with the devil I just liked the odds“. The title track is much more uptempo, with a vibe that makes it sound like it could have come from Ryan Adams’ 2003 release “Rock N Roll“. There’s an honesty to the lyrics that doesn’t do a great deal to sell the town of Norman; “There’s a kid in a hometown jersey, Takin’ money at the door, There’s a band on a tiny stage, American stories major chords, There’s locals in the crowd, And outside it’s about to rain, I can think of a thousand reasons to leave, And one or two to stay“.
‘Broken Angel‘ is one of three singles that were released in advance of the LP; it’s autobiographical, about the time Jennings time spent in Brooklyn with his wife. In the early days it was a great adventure, but by the end there was a feeling that they had outstayed their welcome as Jennings opines “The city takes you in and spits you out” and “We’ve been here too long now we gotta go“. The chorus is a singalong, see if you can stop yourself joining in with the “Hey, hey” and the “Oh, no“.
‘Boston Ave.‘ is about time spent with a childhood friend who sadly passed away when both he and Jennings were 14 years old, the song sees Jennings hankering after the days they spent together. ‘Norman Nights‘ is another of the singles off the album, it’s a straight forward rock tune and probably the best song on the record; it was co-written by Jennings and Wiser. ‘Rubberburn‘ (another single) is named after the college band of which Jennings’ wife was a member; the band was an all-female punk band and this track follows that style, seeming somewhat out of place on this LP. The record concludes with ‘Sooner Superette‘. For non-US readers, a superette is the equivalent of a convenience store or compact supermarket. This track builds from a slow beginning and finally fades with guitar and piano.
The songs on this album generally feature characters and tell the tale of the lifestyle of mainly local people at different points in time; it has a very blue collar feel to it. Overall it’s certainly not a bad record, but there are just not enough highlights to elevate it above the large number of albums that are good, but not great.
