The Bohannon brothers go solo with fine results.
Marty and Matt Bohannon are brothers from Chattanooga, Tennessee. After over twenty years of playing together and delivering some mighty southern rock, they decided to split for a while. Rather than one Bohannon album, we get two solo projects released simultaneously. Expecting to hear two very similar records, we have been served two completely different dishes using similar ingredients but from a different recipe.
First up is Marty Bohannon, with his brilliantly titled “A Scar Is Born.” It’s a ten out of ten title, and there’s no Streisand in sight. With some excellent guitar work, this set has stayed closer to the brothers’ usual music. Track two, ‘Josephine’, conjures the feeling of 80’s indie pop with the jangling guitar. There is even a sense of the Scottish band Big Country in there.
‘Dam Builder Locksmith’ includes further excellent guitar work and lyrically explores the struggle to make it as a musician. Bohannon sings, “Maybe one day I will be a locksmith, and I will change out your locks”, looking to a day when his musical adventure is potentially over. ‘Learn to Swing’ opens with the line “Hell ain’t got no windows, heaven ain’t got no floor”. Bohannon explores turning your back on the Nashville music scene. Certainly a potential crowd pleaser live.
‘Shotgun Shell’ gives us an analogy of life many may identify with. “Well I am an old shotgun shell / My primer has blown my casing to hell”. Hopefully not autobiographical as there is plenty left in the Marty Bohannon’s shell. “A Scar Is Born” ends with the swaying ‘Landline’, which has a beautiful change of pace that takes you by surprise into a swaying chorus and the line “I will see you again my friend”.
Matt Bohannon’s aptly titled “Go Back To Your Roots” is a different experience altogether. ‘American Nightmare’ gets straight to the point and is a call out to the nation. “We took the real American dream and turned it into what you see”. The vocals halfway through channel Talking Heads David Byrne in their delivery. It is a powerful opening track and a song for our times. ‘Gone Too Soon’ appears to lighten the mood as Bohannon advises us to ignore the news and have some fun, but at the back of it all is an underlying sadness: ” Life it ain’t worth living / When it’s filled with regret.”
The title track is a slow, creeping tune with a brooding backbeat. Bohannon’s vocals are low in the mix. It feels like you are conspiring, sitting around the fire, and having to lean in to hear what is being said. The ending has a prog rock feel, which works well. Bohannon reminds us to let him know when we return to our roots. Unfortunately we may be a while but a reset is certainly required by some.
‘Play On Words’ is a fantastic raucous jig and reel which live would have the whole place on their feet. The collection has some heavy themes; this is a great way to blow off some of the steam and have a real hoedown. The record ends with another boisterous cut of pure joy. ‘Highway 41’ drives along as Bohannon gets louder and louder and it he is having a great time. The guitar picking is outstanding.
It is unusual to review two artists together. The Bohannon band could have released these as a double album, showcasing the difference in their approach, similar to how Lennon and McCartney worked in the later years of the Beatles. These two contrasting styles showcase the Bohannon brothers at home with themselves. “A Scar Is Born” is an indie guitar roots collection with rhythm and thoughtful lyrics. “Go Back To Your Roots” does precisely what the title suggests. A stripped down acoustic feel with fiddles to the fore. Both are worth adding to you collection. For Matt and Marty, after over twenty years of making music together, it has no doubt been a therapeutic experiment. Both free to explore what they find interesting and stimulating. Two fine projects all around.
