Customer Reviews

Junky Star

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to believe the man is just 29 years old. Ryan Bingham seems more like some grizzled, peyote addled, desert rat who emerged from a heat mirage on a lonely stretch of highway. I loved the first two albums but I always thought perhaps Ryan was trying to cultivate the image he was projecting. Seems he's been on his own since his teens in rural Texas bouncing back and forth betweem ranch work and rodeos before he turned his attention to music. He's come a long way from sleeping in his pickup truck to a bit part in "Crazy Heart" and an Oscar for "The Weary Kind". Ryan turns from Marc Ford who produced his first two albums to "Crazy Heart" musical mastermind T Bone Burnett. The terminally busy Burnett has the wisdom not to try and change Bingham and The Dead Horses. If anything, he strips away the excess and let's Bingham's lyrical strengths shine through. As much as I love James McMurtry and and his songwriting skills, Ryan Bingham is well on his way to challenging him for the title of poet laureate of Americana music. Maybe James owns the high plains and Ryan reigns over the desert. Highly recommended.

I have to agree with everyone's opinion on Ryan Bingham. He is a great talent!!!
But one of the elements that drew me towards his music is missing on Junky Star.
That would be his "in your face" attitude that bucked the establishment and broke some rules with some rocking tunes that crossed, or at least blurred the lines between country and rock. This album contains no foot-stomping tunes like Bread and Water, Country Roads and even just a little toe tapping experienced in Ghost of Travlin' Jones. If soft, soulful country ballads are your thing, then give this one 5 stars and add it your collection. If your a Bingham fan as am I, then buy it anyway. We're seeing and listening to the creative evolution of a music icon for years to come. Just hoping for more gritty, harder edged stuff in the future.

I caught Ryan Bingham for the first time at the Americana Music Awards show at the Ryman in Nashville. He had won both the song of the year award for "The Weary Kind" as well as the artist of the year award. While I had the Crazy Heart soundtrack, I was not acquainted with his other work. In a night filled with incredible performances (for example Robert Plant did an unannounced 40 minute set of his new Band of Joy LP with Buddy Miler and Patty Griffin) Ryan Bingham blew me away with a stunning performance of "Hallelujah" from his new LP. While still sitting in the auditorium, I ordered the new LP as well as his first two releases on both cd and vinyl through the amazon app on my ipod. I have not been disappointed. I find both his songs and his voice to have a depth and maturity that belie his age. His songs have been in constant rotation on my turntable and on my car's iPod. I am planning to catch him live in the next few weeks. Along with artists like Hayes Carll and the Avett Brothers, performers like Ryan Bingham give me hope in the future of country music. It great to see a new stream of talent in the mold of Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark, Steve Earle etc. coming down the pike. I urge you to support Ryan Bingham and others like him by buying their music. It is folks like these that will keep quality songwriting alive in today's world of mass produced Muzak for the lowest common denominator.

I've been looking forward to this release for ages. I wasn't tempted to buy the single "teaser" and waited until the morning of the 31st to download this. I burned it to CDR, because I travel around Tucson in my Jeep all day and it's a company vehicle with a CD player but no mp3 input. So, CD it was.

On first listen, the songs all kind of sounded the same, kind of slow, folky stuff, that would be good to play late at night sippin' on wine and hangin' out. The more I listened, though, the more I got into it. It's pretty mellow throughout, so if you're expecting a firecracker of a surprise that Mescalito was, well, don't be disappointed.

Ryan's older and more experienced and his voice is still just so unique. I think he could sing the national anthem and I'd enjoy it. He's just got a voice that resonates.

I haven't listed to this so many times that all of the songs are known by heart. That's probably going to take a lot of listens, because, honestly, while they're good, they're all variations on a theme and there's not a lot of range here. What's here is good, not great, not bad. It's a decent release from a guy, who, to be honest, can do better, IMHO.

I got this for $3.99 on the day of release, so I'm not complaining. If I'd paid full price, I might be more critical. If you know Ryan's music, you'll like this. If you're just checking him out for the first time because you saw Crazy Heart and want to check out Ryan's music, then I'd recommend the download of Mescalito, which is just $5.99 and is brimming with surprises that, sadly, this release just doesn't quite capture.

So I've been waiting all summer for "JUNKY STAR"! It was worth the wait! And a steal for only $3.99. I have no idea how to describe Ryan Bingham--he just writes and sings great music. Junky Star is a little more stripped down, more subdued than Roadhouse Sun. Still amazing! The variety yet similarity is what makes Bingham and the Deadhorses relavent! If you get a chance--check them out in person! Their show is just the real deal--Download Junky Star and try not to listen!

Junky Star is another spectacular album from Ryan Bingham. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, every song is like a painting for your ears. Great musicianship, great lyrics that tell great stories, great singing. Ryan Bingham is an incredible, underrated talent. This album, coming on the heels of his Oscar win for "The Weary Kind" (from Crazy Heart), might go a long way towards bumping Bingham to big-time stardom. NOTE: The MP3 version of the album includes "The Weary Kind" as the 13th track, which is a nice bonus. That song is NOT included on the CD version. My favorite Junky Star tracks so far: "The Poet," "Depression," and "Hallelujah." Fabulous stuff. I couldn't recommend this album more highly.

I have been with Bingham from the early days when he was still with the Dead Horses. The man had the voice and the words from the very start. He was twenty going on sixty when it came to relaying stories through his music, almost as if he had been everywhere and seen everything. But how can this be possible? This album is more tame than the more rocking first and second CDs. There is also a more seriousness to the lyrics. Ryan is surrounded by a ridiculously talented band which makes each song a well crafted gem. What can I say, this guy is from another planet.

It's been ages since an artist's music stopped me in my tracks - 29-year-old Ryan Bingham is the latest to do so, and his latest, Junky Star (3rd release, produced by T Bone Burnett,) is a brilliant album. Bingham is a talented songwriter, lyrically taking up themes and characters that complement his hard-life-lived sound. And that voice...Bingham's raspy, throaty vocals are all gravel and grit, sounding 30+ years his senior - part Bob Dylan (today!), part Felice Brothers. Junky Star is old school, no bells and whistles: mostly toned down, contemplative & haunting acoustic ballads woven amidst a few edgier barroom rockers. No matter the style, this is refreshing, invigorating stuff. If the name is familiar, Bingham won multiple awards in `10 for his song "The Weary Kind" from the Crazy Heart soundtrack.

GENRES: Rock, Mellow Rock, Contemporary Folk.

BUY IF YOU LIKE: Bob Dylan, The Felice Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, James McMurtry.

MUST HEAR TRACKS: "The Poet," "The Wandering," "Junky Star," "Hallelujah," "Yesterday's Blues," "Direction of the Wind," "Self Righteous Wall," "All Choked Up Again."

These songs are hard-hitting tales about being the underdog in the last days of the American empire. Junky Star is a lot quieter than either of the band's previous albums and feels like a continuation of Bingham's work in Crazy Heart. While the band may be a bit muted, they are still fierce, reminiscent of Crazy Horses' occasional acoustic foray with Neil Young. No wannabe Jimmy Buffetts in puka shell necklaces here. This is a country music album for grown-ass men.

This guy is outstanding. His voice holds an ache that can reach your soul. His lyrics tell stories you may never hear elsewhere. They plead sorrow, cast determination and show the world through an ol' wanderer's eyes. This guy and his band are the real deal. Their hearts are in it and I enjoy every song on this album.