James McMurtry

James McMurtry - Saint Mary of the Woods - 2002 - Sugar Hill

After the more laid-back excursion of Walk Between the Raindrops, James McMurtry returns to the more raucous sound of his John Mellencamp-produced debut, Too Long in the Wasteland, and the follow-up, Candyland. Aided by the electric guitars of Stephen Bruton, David Grissom, and McMurtry himself, Saint Mary of the Woods rocks as much as it "folks." The talent for vividly painted, finely honed observations of rural life and interactive hearts that he inherited from his father (Larry, the novelist) has been augmented here by some diverse musical influences. "Lobo Town" borrows from Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love," while the rhythm of his "Choctaw Bingo" lyrics can trace a direct lineage to Chuck Berry's "Maybellene." McMurtry also covers a Dave Alvin tune ("Dry River") and enlists composing help from bandmates and engineers. Rather than add up to a writer having creative problems, it appears here more like an egoless acceptance of inspiration where he finds it. It works. Saint Mary of the Woods is a fine addition to a first-rate catalog by a consistently excellent artist. © Michael Ross © 1996-2010, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Mary-Woods-James-Mcmurtry/dp/B00006IGUF/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1285094614&sr=1-1

A very underrated singer, musician and brilliant songwriter, James McMurtry from Fort Worth, Texas has a lot of great songs under his belt. The guy has a voice that sounds like a cross between Johnny Cash, David Byrne, and Lou Reed. Lyrically, the guy is a great storyteller. Like Leonard Cohen, David Byrne, Mose Allison, Janis Ian, Tino Gonzales, Lou Reed, or the young Dylan, James writes songs often with a socio-political theme. He writes evocative lyrics, often cynical and dry, but never boring, and like the aforementioned artists he has the rare talent of writing great music for what often sounds like dull topics. His music is steeped in Americana, and he produces brilliant music. "Saint Mary of the Woods" is a wonderful album of great Americana/country roots rock flavoured songs. In his regular column for Entertainment Weekly, noted author (and passionate rock ’n’ roll enthusiast) Stephen King cited McMurtry as “the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” "Saint Mary of the Woods " is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy James' great "Just Us Kids" album. Promote this great artist. He's never gonna win the X-Factor, nor would he want to. We’re talking real music here! Check out James’ “It Had to Happen” album on this blog and listen to James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastard's "Live In Aught-Three" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 121 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Dry River
2. Valley Road
3. Saint Mary Of The Woods
4. Out Here In The Middle
5. Lobo Town
6. Broken Bed - with Ronnie Johnson & Daren Hess
7. Red Dress
8. Gulf Road
9. Gone To The Y
10. Choctaw Bingo

All songs composed by James McMurtry except Track 1 by Dave Alvin/James McMurtry, and Tracks 3, & 6 by Flash/Hess/Johnson/James McMurtry

MUSICIANS

James McMurtry (vocals, guitar, slide guitar)
Stephen Bruton (electric guitar, slide guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin)
David Grissom (guitar)
Ronnie Johnson (guitar, bass, background vocals)
Earl Poole Ball (piano)
Ian McLagan (organ, Wurlitzer organ)
Paul Pearcy (drums, cowbells, tambo, maracas, percussion, sound effects)
Daren Hess (drums, cymbals, shaker, sound effects)
Lisa Mednick (accordion)
Randy Garibay, Jr., Myra Spector (background vocals)

BIO

Texas singer/songwriter James McMurtry, known for his hard-edged character sketches, comes from a literary family; his father, novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, gave James his first guitar at age seven, and his mother, an English professor, taught him how to play it. McMurtry began performing his own songs while a student at the University of Arizona and continued to do so after returning home and taking a job as a bartender. When it transpired that a film script McMurtry's father had written was being directed by John Mellencamp, who was also its star, McMurtry's demo tape was passed along, and Mellencamp was duly impressed, serving as co-producer on McMurtry's 1989 debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland. McMurtry also appeared on the soundtrack of the film (Falling from Grace), working with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely, and Dwight Yoakam in a one-off supergroup called Buzzin' Cousins. McMurtry has continued to record, releasing albums in 1992 and 1995. Walk Between the Raindrops followed in 1998, and 2002 saw the release of Saint Mary of the Woods, his last for the Sugar Hill label. He signed with Compadre the following year, releasing Live in Aught-Three in 2004 and Childish Things in 2005. Just Us Kids appeared in 2008 on Lightning Rod Records, with another concert album, Live in Europe, arriving in 2009. © Steve Huey, Rovi © http://www.answers.com/topic/james-mcmurtry#Discography_d

BIO (WIKIPEDIA)

James McMurtry (born March 18, 1962 in Fort Worth, is a Texas rock and Americana music singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader and occasional actor (Daisy Miller, Lonesome Dove). With his veteran bandmates and rhythm section The Heartless Bastards (Darren Hess and Ronnie Johnson) he tours regions of the United States and, increasingly, Europe, for parts of each year, performing in intimate and mid-sized venues, especially those with dancing room for his audiences. His father, novelist Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar at age seven. His mother, an English professor, taught him how to play it: "My mother taught me three chords and the rest I just stole as I went along. I learned everything by ear or by watching people." James spent the first seven years of his boyhood in Ft. Worth but was raised mostly in Leesburg, Virginia. He attended the Woodberry Forest School, Orange, Virginia. He began performing in his teens, writing bits and pieces. He started performing his own songs at a downtown beer garden while studying English and Spanish at the University of Arizona in Tucson. After traveling to Alaska and playing a few gigs, James returned to Texas and his father's "little bitty ranch house crammed with 10,000 books". After a time, he left for San Antonio, where he worked as a house painter, actor, bartender, and sometimes singer, performing at writer's nights and open mics. In 1987, a friend in San Antonio suggested he enter the New Folk songwriter contest. He was one of six winners that year. John Mellencamp was starring in a film based on a script by James's father, which gave James the opportunity to get a demo tape to Mellencamp. Mellencamp subsequently served as co-producer on McMurtry's 1989 debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland. McMurtry also appeared on the soundtrack of the film Falling from Grace, working with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely, and Dwight Yoakam in a "supergroup" called Buzzin' Cousins. McMurtry released follow-up albums in Candyland (1992) and Where'd You Hide the Body (1995). Walk Between the Raindrops followed in 1998 and 2002 brought St. Mary of the Woods. In April 2004, McMurtry released a tour album called Live In Aught-Three. In 2005, McMurtry released his first studio album in 3 years. Childish Things again received high critical praise, culminating in him winning the song and album of the year at the 5th Annual Americana Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. The album was perhaps McMurtry at his most political, as his working-class anthem "We Can't Make It Here" included direct criticism of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, and Wal-Mart. McMurtry released his follow up album to Childish Things in April 2008. Just Us Kids continued with the previous album's political themes and included the song Cheney's Toy, McMurtry's most direct criticism of George W. Bush so far. Like We Can't Make It Here from the previous album, Cheney's Toy was made available as a free Internet download. James McMurtry currently resides in Austin, Texas. When in Austin McMurtry and The Heartless Bastards play a midnight set at The Continental Club on Wednesday nights. He's usually preceded by another Austin roots rock legend, Jon Dee Graham.