Texas has a long tradition of producing songwriters from Ernest Tubb to Willie Nelson. Like many musicians, Jarrod Dickenson started his music career in the clubs of Austin. However, it was when he took a trip to the West Coast that he realized he wanted to do more than play gigs in Austin. That was a fortunate turn of events for his career and his fans.
His new album Ready the Horses was recorded live in a studio in southeast England with a nod to the soulful sounds of Stax Records and Muscle Shoals. Of the first single “Way Past Midnight”, Dickenson said, “Recording this tune was pure, unadulterated joy.” From the sound of it, you might guess that recording the whole album was pure joy.
Right away, you’re greeted with sounds of “Faint of Heart” that are equal parts soul and roots rock. You can hear the soul aspect in the organ that drives the song and the vocals, which bear a similarity to Jackie Greene. Meanwhile, the rhythm section lays down a groove that will get you moving. Considering the job of the first track is to hook the listener, it’s fair to say that mission was accomplished with this opener.
The soulful aspect of the music only intensifies as the album progresses, with backing vocals akin to a gospel choir and plenty of horn swells. At the same time, you’re likely to hear a guitar part that would fit just as easily into a Gov’t Mule song. More than one song contains the sort of dance groove that makes it impossible to sit still. “Way Past Midnight” is one song example of a song that would fill the dance floor.
This album also has a strong singer-songwriter component. The strongest example of this is “Your Heart Belongs to Me”. In this one, Dickenson plays an acoustic guitar and almost whispers the lyrics as a pedal steel plays softly in the background to conjure a mood similar to the songs on Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska album.
Dickenson even dips into some country sounds in “A Cowboy and the Moon”. This song features some pretty simple instrumentation, but has a mellow Tex-Mex feel with the fiddle and the accordion.
On this album, Dickenson shows himself to be quite the songwriter. He draws from a variety of influences and brings them altogether in a way that is enjoyable and easy to listen to, whether he’s singing a downtempo song or one that makes you feel like you’ve been taken to church.
