It never fails to astound me: no matter how much music I hear, from sources both commercial and outside the mainstream, especially my rather gluttonous appetite for alternative radio (I spent yesterday afternoon listening via the internet to perhaps the best independent radio station in the country, Bridgeport, Connecticut's WPKN - FM), when up pops an artist I'm unaware of and who obviously has been doing compelling work for years. This happened again when GMR sent Malcolm Holcombe's Another Wisdom.
A Web search lead me to his modest, informative home page where I learned that he's done a handful of albums over the past fifteen or so years. His latest, Another Wisdom, contains eleven nicely crafted songs, well produced by Don Tolle. All the material is written by Holcombe. Call it alt country or Americana, if labels are required. Holcombe sings and plays acoustic guitar, backed by a bunch of Nashville cats. The reviews posted refer frequently to his compelling voice and intense live performing style. Likewise, if comparisons help, the names mentioned include the likes of Guy Clark, Tim Hardin, Tom Waits and Towne Van Zandt. Having heard Another Wisdom I would make a real effort to see Malcolm Holcombe live.
A difficulty in writing great songs, especially with some desire for airplay, is to be short and simple; not to self consciously avoid clichés, but instead bring something new to them. Holcombe succeeds admirably. His songs are at once comfortably familiar, yet each piece on Another Wisdom has a distinctly personal twist. It helps that the musicians backing him share the same virtues. They provide a solid band sound without either "phoning in the same ol', same ol'," or tossing about dazzling virtuosity just to show they can. They are, in a word, 'tasty.'
The album opener offers a look at the marginalized cast of characters who pass through "The Station ." Holcombe's voice brings a sense of intimate immediacy, we see through his insider's eyes the "Well read drugstore whores/ Smilin' shufflin' through the doors/ Dimes and nickels for their chores..." along with all the others. "Bring the Water on Down" has a timeless sound, as if it could have been written a hundred years ago. The instrument that catches the ear on this one is Stuart Duncan's fiddle, smooth and sophisticated enough that I would have listed it as violin. (Duncan appears courtesy of Rounder Records.) "Woman Missin'" is funky, raw and clever, reminding me of John Haitt. Sam Broussard's guitar gives this tune precisely the right bite.
"Love Abides" is another song where Holcombe's fine guitar work is set off nicely by Stuart Duncan's fiddle. "Mister in Morgantown" drops into a languid groove, given a nice twist by the sound of Sam Levine on clarinet. The title track, "Another Wisdom," has echoes of early Dire Straits, which is to say great guitars, crisp drumming, and the impression that its 3:45 might expand to a ten minute rave on stage. "Sleepy Town" is a daddy's lullaby. "Marvalene's Kitchen" brand new, old timey music. "Who Carried You" recalls writers like John Prine, Iris DeMent and Gillian Welch. A great, enigmatic, story song with dead on specificity to ground you, while the exact details of the plot behind the details remains a bit mysterious. "From a cajun diner to Carolina/ Sick in the mornin' to see the town doctor/ Life and Agatha Christie in a trailway/ back from New Orleans/ Who dunnit, who carried you..." "Captured by Paradise" has a Dylanesque quality and a fine guitar solo by Brendan Harkin. The closer, "Grace in Sand," sets you down easy, but the lyrics carry weight.
So, there you have it. Thanks to Green Man Review I've been introduced to Malcolm Holcombe, a mature talent whose latest release, Another Wisdom, is a compelling piece of work. He has a voice with character and.... let's call it gravitas. His guitar playing is first-class. That said, Holcombe's greatest strength is the ability to craft songs with depth that should also be radio friendly.
