By Scott Johnson
MCAU Assistant Editor
“The
Gin Mill Hymns” is the sound of an artist who’s gathered a vast amount of life
experiences and woven it into a tapestry of songs that reflect his artistic
influences. Chris Beall’s second album is roots-rock oriented with influential
nods to Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, and the storytelling style of Bruce
Springsteen.
It’s
the kind of album that begs to be played on a road trip down life’s highways.
I’ve lived with it a few months now, and can honestly say it hasn’t left my
car. “The Gin Mill Hymns” creates a folksy, introspective mood during the first
few notes of “Half a World Away.” It’s a song that has a way of taking you back
in time to bittersweet experiences that have long since passed. It sounds like
someone saying, “I wish you well, but I’m moving on, and I’m doing it the best
way I know how.” It brings on a melancholy feeling that is both reflective of
the past but looks forward in hope.
Next,
Beall gets autobiographical in “Dug Down Deep,” hands down the standout track
in this collection. Years from now, Beall might even look back to the recording
as the seminal moment when his true artistic statement began. He would do well
to continue exploring the art of telling stories for the next album. Beall’s
artistry comes out in the way he writes songs. He writes from a “me”
perspective and then widens out to reflect a larger experience.
Chris
says the story of his father’s motorcycle accident was always in the back of
his mind, begging to be told in the form of a song. “Dug Down Deep” tells the
tale of the artist chasing his own dreams, stepping out on faith after his
musical partner and best friend moved away. By the second verse, he’s singing
about “the motorcycle man” who married a flower child. His big dreamer of a father
miraculously recovered from the accident, and Chris is saying that because of
this thread of overcoming, he can get through his difficulties by digging down
deep and pressing on.
By
now, we can sense a theme of letting go of the past and overcoming the things
that once stood in the way. “Make a Livin’” is another highlight that takes
inspiration from the working man who leaves his family to go to work. The
narrator of the song says “I have tried
to see the good in it but I guess I just don’t understand.” The theme of
trying to make sense of the past creeps up again. The music sets a fine groove
throughout the album, but don’t let that fool you -- there’s a lot going on in
the lyrics found in “The Gin Mill Hymns.”
Later
in the album, Beall reflects on “Summer Days” and a girl named “Laura Lynn”,
but his cover of an old blues tune called “Spike Driver Blues” proves to be
most interesting. The Mississippi John Hurt folk song was rediscovered in the
‘60s and finds an appropriate home on the album. It fits in perfectly with the
working class themes. It’s easy to imagine the character in “Make a Livin”
sweating in the sun, and he may have hummed the “Spike Driver Blues” to get
through the ordeal. The song references John Henry, a classic folk hero that
hammered himself to death on the job. Beall sings “John Henry left his hammer all over these rails…” but asserts, “It was the hammer that killed John Henry
but it won’t kill me.”
“The
Gin Mill Hymns” is a treat to listen to and belongs in your car stereo on a
road trip or as the soundtrack on the way to work. The album, every so subtly, makes
a Zen-like statement that we must acknowledge the past but not live in it. One
thing is for sure, there’s only a bright future in store with Chris Beall at
the musical wheel!
Learn more about (or listen to songs from) Chris Beall's "The Gin Mill Hymns" at http://www.ChrisBeallMusic.com .
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