Little Rock

Hayes Carll | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Highway 87 Music
• ASIN: B0007VF1Y2
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,127 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #39 in Music > Rock > Roots Rock

Track Listings

1. Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long

2. Take Me Away

3. Down The Road Tonight

4. Good Friends

5. Hey Baby Where You Been

6. Rivertown

7. Little Rock

8. Leave Here Standing

9. Sit In With The Band

10. Long Way Home

11. Chickens

Editorial Reviews

Review

He evokes Townes Van Zandt lyrically, Guy Clark emotionally, Steve Earle stylistically and Ray Wylie Hubbard spiritually. --Boston Herald

you do believe the words in his songs, because it's apparent that he has lived 'em. --The Houston Press

Here's a guy who takes regular old rockin' Texas folk country and just adds new songs to the canon right there alongside the songs of Van Zandt, Clark, Earle, Crowell, Shaver, Keen, Hubbard, et al. Houston, we have a poet. --The Houston Press

Product Description

Hayes Carll is still in his 20s, yet he's already attained the whiskey-drenched, world-weary sound of someone who's battled a lifetime of demons. The Houston native employs that compressed experience to achieve near perfection on his second album, Little Rock, an Americana tour de force that gracefully straddles melancholic gloom and bubbly buoyancy.

There's not a weak song here, which is saying something considering the album's range. From the wistful lamentation of Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long to the silly wordplay of Down the Road Tonight, Carll exhibits a deft lyrical touch across the widest possible range of human emotions.

And yet Carll is more than just a songwriter. His rough, thickly accented voice and exquisite acoustic guitar work are what really drive the album.

While Carll is the clear star, he benefits from some help along the way.

Guy Clark co-wrote the haunting Rivertown. And Clark's guitar work from The Randall Knife clearly inspired the similarly elegiac Long Way Home.

Ray Wylie Hubbard co-wrote the riotous Chickens. In the liner notes, Carll adds the following disclaimer: 'Ray and I felt that what the world really needed was a song about chickens. There is a good chance that we were wrong.' Perhaps, but the world definitely could use more songs as enjoyable as this one.

Guest vocals from Allison Moorer and stellar instrumental work from producer R.S. Field, Jimmy Lester, and Kenny Vaughn add depth and texture, confirming Little Rock as something more than just standard singer/songwriter fare.

Indeed, Little Rock is anything but ordinary. It is an energetic confirmation of Carll's status among the state's most promising young artists.

-This Is Texas Music, March 2005

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice varied tempos & messages keep us rapt & attentive, April 26, 2005

By 

J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Rock (Audio CD)

Playing Time - 40:11 -- Hayes Carll is a Texas singer/songwriter who describes himself as a "twisted folk singer." I don't find him particularly perplexing because his songs reveal a fair amount about his life, friends, and wry wit. The places he's lived over the years are mentioned in the opener, "Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long." He wonders about some of his closest high school buds in "Good Friends." And just about everything else is referred to in the tongue-twisting "Down the Road Tonight" from thrift store cowboys to panty droppers, and pill poppers to his grandmother. Little Rock is a followup to Carll's 2003 release "Flowers and Liquor," and this latest effort offers a nice mix of varied tempos and diverse messages to keep a listener rapt and attentive. The title cut, about Arkansas, is a rocking story about Carll's search for "a piece of this earth for my peace of mind." With emotive voice, the singer also ably handles the rawboned ballad, "Long Way Home," or quiet lullaby "Take Me Away." Of special note are the compositions written in collaboration with Ray Wylie Hubbard ("Chickens"), Guy Clark ("Rivertown") and John Evans ("Sit in with the Band" and "Take Me Away"). Some songs have a tender side, while others are raucous.

While Carll chose to independently release Little Rock, his personalized sound and work eithic (over 200 appearances in 2004) have attracted the interest of major labels. Produced by R.S. Field, Little Rock features a bevy of good musicians. Alison Moorer and pedal steel player Bucky Baxter assist on vocals, and I wish that some of the songs had been arranged with a few more harmonies. Other musicians who lay down the Texas groove include Kenny Vaughn (guitar), Jared Reynolds (bass), Jimmy Lester (drums), R.S. Field (percussion, drums, guitar), Adam Landry (guitar), and George Bradfute (bass).

Carll has been on the road with Joe Ely, Todd Snider, Slaid Cleaves and Ray Wylie Hubbard. He's also played Merlefest and the "Texas Revolution" at the Southfork Ranch in Dallas. Hayes Carll is a bit of a renegade who is strongly individualistic, confident and independent. As long as he succeeds in getting his music out there and heard, Carll's on a certain road to headline status in the Texas music scene. He's well on his way as I understand that Hayes went #1 on the Americana radio chart in April, 2005 - a feat never before accomplished by a self-released artist. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Such Thing as a Sophmore Slump, March 8, 2005

By 

Brad "housemadeofdirt" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Rock (Audio CD)

Hayes burst onto the Texas country/folk/singer-songwriter scene several years back with Flowers & Liquor, a wonderful collection of songs about mostly - you guessed it - love and alcohol. Several years later Hayes returns with a matured compilation of songs, not just emotionally, but also musically. But don't believe me...Hayes brings legendary songwriters Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard to the table with him, proving he can hold his own with two of the best. What strikes me as particulary good about the album is its consistency, seemingly becoming one of Hayes' trademarks.

From the opening single "Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long," rolling through to the fun country rocker "Down the Road Tonight," drifting through the haunting "Rivertown," into the wistful "Long Way Home," and closing out with the excellent barn buster "Chickens," you won't find a throw-away track on this cd. Do yourself a favor and grab one. You won't be disappointed.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hayes is the real deal, March 24, 2005

By 

Michael R. Wilson (Houston, Tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Rock (Audio CD)

I prefer seeing Hayes Carll in a live performance where his charisma and sense of humor shine. Second best is sitting back with friends and beer listening to Hayes at home. He is a true poet with a wicked sense of humor. My wife absolutely loves his music and this is a major breakthrough for her. She had considered Barry Manilow the voice of America.There is no sophmore jinx here. It is more refined than the first album with his well chosen guest musicians.