Heartfelt observations on life from Tennessee singer-songwriter Stephen Simmons.
Stephen Simmons has been around for a while. “Hunch” is his twelfth album and his first for almost five years. His stunning “Family Album”, born out of the pandemic, is a collection close to home. The new record however leaves the ponderosa and hits the road. Recorded in Tennessee and produced by his good friend, Goffrey Moore, at his cabin studio on the Cumberland (Wasioto) River in Madison, the suite includes ten country-inspired songs written by Simmons.
The upbeat title track gets things underway with an ode to songwriting and performing. Like many artists, Simmons must have had his fair share of broken strings, as he sings, “Gonna need some new strings if I’m gonna play this hard”. Anxiety about playing live in front of people who know you, in this case, Allison, is described; however, you might find one element of the lyric slightly irritating. You will know which one when you hear it; however, it could make for a great crowd sing-along moment when played live.
‘Decoration Days’ includes some excellent slide guitar from Paul Niehaus, and lyrically, Simmons hits his stride. Lamenting loved ones lost, whilst still reminding us all to live in the now. The imagery is poignant, and the harmony vocals from Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist Molly Jewell work really well, as they do throughout the record.
After the simple break-up tune, ‘Song of Us ‘, the standout track ‘Grandpa’s Jacket’ gives us a glimpse of how it all started. It’s an easy-going country song with aching pedal steel, low in the mix but just enough to come through. Kudos to Moore for the production. The bridge offers the reason for this life as Simmons sings, “I set out years ago / With so much to prove / Was doing this for me / Weren’t trying to prove myself to you”. ‘Early Rising Moon’ has a shimmering chorus with Jewell joining Simmons again, elevating proceedings. There’s a chemistry between the two singers which works beautifully on the more tender tracks.
What Simmons achieved with his “Family Album” collection does, however, stay just out of reach. The stop-in-your-tracks moments are there, but not as often as on the 2020 record. ‘Dresden Dolls’ comes across as a heartfelt personal story, but it lacks the punch and interest of the earlier songs in this assemblage.
‘Amsterdam’ gives you an insight into the life of a solo touring musician. The total other end of the spectrum compared to a major label artists who have their lavish tour buses or even private jets. “You can’t learn without being wrong / Like a singer that ain’t never lived his song”, sings Simmons, and you know he has been there.
Simmons continues to produce interesting and at times thought-provoking music. The musicians on the album do an excellent job throughout, and the production is solid. Possibly too long in the making to sound spontaneous, he admits it took longer than he planned; nevertheless, there is enough here worthy of a good few listens.
