Master Story Teller Tom Russell Melds Johnny Cash, Jack Kerouac and Bakersfield on ‘October in the Railroad Earth’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Tom Russell may well be America’s most prolific and criminally underrecognized songwriter with nearly forty albums.  Yet, his recent string of albums, most notably his 2015 epic masterpiece Rose of Roscrae and 2017’s wide-spanning Folk Hotel have garnered him increasing attention. October in the Railroad Earth can now sit comfortably beside them. Russell is simply the best American storyteller.

This one doesn’t have quite the geographic sweep as the other two. Few do. Yet, Russell’s core strength in terms of both imagery and stories is the American West and that’s his emphasis here. Self-described as “Jack Kerouac meets Johnny Cash in Bakersfield,” Russell co-produced with long-time cohort, Austin’ s Mark Hallman and it features Bill KIrchen on the telecaster, and Austin musicians like Rick Richards on drums.  Eliza Gilkyson adds harmonies to two songs and the Grammy-Award winning Texmaniacs on “Isadore Gonzalez,” about a Mexican cowboy who died in England during a performance of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Yes, Russell is our best modern day “cowboys and Indians” songsmith.

Russell is also a painter, author, and essayist with several books of both art and literature.  We should add that he’s a bit of a prophet too. In 2007 he debuted his song “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?” which has since gone viral and was done around a time where that topic had nowhere near the buzz it has today. He has also published six books, including a book on his art, a book of his songs, and a highly rated book of essays, Ceremonies of the Horsemen, which won the 2015 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism. His paintings are several major American museums and in six world galleries.

Russell provides insightful preambles for each of his songs on his website, if not in the liner notes. Although his story telling is straight forward, those notes often capture a mood or an event that lyrics can only briefly allude to.  The first of such is the title track, taken from a prose poem by Jack Kerouac. That prose, once recited on a TV show, highlights Jack’s time working as a railroad brakeman in San Francisco. There’s a reference to poet Lawrence Ferlingetti’s cabin and a recitation at the end of Jack’s books – most of which were never published in his lifetime.  As Russell points out in the notes and in the song, referencing Kerouac – “He died with 62 bucks in the bank.”

He follows with “Small Engine Repair,”  a song that became the title of an Irish film.  It has some great lines like – “Change the oil and keep the carburetor clean/And mow down all the problems of life.” “T-Bone Steak and Spanish Wine” is a bonus track only available on the CD version. That’s too bad for vinyl lovers because it’s one of the gems. Russell perfectly captures the nostalgic feeling he’s writing about. He rediscovered a steakhouse and bar that he’d played at over 40 years ago in Northern California. The dinner special on the sign remained untouched. He sat down with the owner for a glass of wine, sang old songs, and fell into the past.

”Red Oak Texas” is the true story about twin boys from that town who fought in the Middle East, became heroes but never adapted to regular life when they returned home. It’s frightfully symbolic of the plight of too many veterans. That gloomy tale needs a counterpoint which Russell proved in “Back Streets of Love,” a sarcastic commentary on the uselessness of a GPS system – “My global position? Artist and musician, sir.” “Hand-Raised Wolverines” is the kind of song that only Russell could write. On an off day, while looking for something interesting to do, a friend took him to a private game park and let him inside the cage with semi-tame wolverines, the fiercest animals, pound for pound on earth. Russell uses that experience as a metaphor for modern times.

With requisite pedal steel and telecaster “Highway 46” is a noble nod to Bakersfield, calling up the names of Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and others. “Pass Me the Gun , Billy” is a humorous tale, (another true story) about growing up in the mid-60s on his cowboy brother’s ranch. “When the Road Gets Rough” was inspired by Russell’s wife, Nadine, as he sings about the perseverance it takes to be a troubadour. The lone cover is “Wreck of the Old 97,” one of the first songs where Russell learned to play guitar, from the Johnny Cash Sun Record The Hot and Blue Guitars of Johnny Cash.

Russell’s album are usually special treasures. Count this among them. His stories are always worth hearing.

Related Content

2 Responses

  1. You’re right..been a fan for a few years and he just keeps getting better and better..tma modern Dylan!

  2. I met Tom Russell in 1987 in New York at a bar where he and the band were playing. Veterans’ Day has always stood out that night. I bought three cassettes and have long ago worn them out. I was excited a couple of years ago when I found them available on CD and at Amazon. I’ve been following him for 32 years now and Railroad Earth is one of his absolute best.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter