Customer Reviews

Half Souls & Heals

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If you liked "So Help Me," you'll love "Half Souls and Heals." (Truthfully, if you disliked the earlier album, you will very likely still love this one.) Jay Sims' voice and artistic vision have richened, and his style has distilled nicely with age. Comparisons to other artists suggest that Sims' music is derivative, which it is not. That said, if you like Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker, with their complacent melancholy, you'll be equally excited about this album.

I'm always skeptical of a studio recording by a great honky tonk musician. Too often I am disappointed with a sterile, overproduced Nashville-sounding product that I play once and then donate to the local public radio station. That's certainly not the fare offered here by Jay Sims in his sophomore release, Half Souls and Heals. 'Mercy and Grace' artfully captures the live feel of this country gospel tune and one of my all time Jay Sims favorites, 'When the Music Played' is even more wistful and melancholy than the live version. Jay so carefully chooses his cover tunes that it's tough to imagine the original singer/songwriters could turn them out any better than Jay does. (I've heard several say they prefer Jay's version of Fred Eaglesmith's 'Water in the Fuel' on his first release, So Help Me.) The covers he selected for this album are stunning, from David Rodriguez's complex revelation 'Seven Angels', to Nathan Hamilton's richly simple 'Let It Lie', to Robbie Fulks' creepy tune, 'Real Money' -- which, as the opener to the album, sets the creative tone for the artistry that follows. Jay incidentally opens many of his live shows with the same tune. Close your eyes on 'Mudbuggin' and you just might think you were up to your elbows in crawdads 'n' taters at Austin's Sambets with Jay crooning double-entendres cajun style in the corner. Switching gears through a classic waltz ('Meet Me at the Mailbox') and a thouroughly danceable two-step ('Rest of the Way') you'll wonder why Jay's not booked solid throughout every dance hall in Texas. He opts instead for a simpler life of small beer joints and restaurants, from dives to fine dining. And his musical home of Luckenbach tells you he knows how to pick with a fine circle of legends, that is when he's not tending bar there. 'Pawn Shop Diamond' clearly was inspired by life behind the Luckenbach bar. and don't ignore out the all star list of heavy hitters who support jay on this album, from Gurf Morlix to Chris Whitten. This offering is simply a gem in the Texas music library.