Tommy Womack – one time member of the brilliantly named Government Cheese – has spent the bulk of his solo career sliding closer to the roots music scene, but on his latest he takes a more decidedly straightforward road to rock (without the unnecessary prefixes). The result is easily his best in more than a decade.
Sure, there are still hints of roots or countryish finishes on songs like “Job Hunting While Depressed,” but the bulk of the songs here are powered by little more than solid guitars, heavy drumming and snark – a fantastically satisfying combo. I Thought I Was Fine feels like the perfect marriage between Hamell On Trial and Willie Nile, mixing caustic, smart humor and societal commentary with a rock and roll soundtrack.
The album opens with “Pay It Forward,” a no-frills rocker about just getting by in life without being a dick. And it’s easily one of his best tracks yet as a solo artist – complete with his best guitar solo to hammer home the point. Another close favorite is “I Got No Place To Go,” one of his catchiest songs yet. There is also an unexpectedly spirited cover of the classic “Lucky Old Sun.” The album closes with the spoken word “The Story Of Waymond And Lou,” which intros the surprisingly sweet acoustic number “I Wish I’d Known You Better,” the least rockin’ song in this collection, but a great addition, nonetheless.
Explaining his motivation for plugging in on this record Womack said, “I wanted to rock this time. They’ve called me an Americana artist for over 20 years now, and it’s a great important genre; I’ve got nothing against it. I’ve had a great time being part of the movement. But one day a while back, I had an epiphany. I thought, hey, I hate dobros anymore! And if I hear another song about a train in the key of G, somebody’s gonna get hurt.”
So, no dobros and no train songs (sorry Todd Snider). What we’re left with is a stellar no-frills rock album that is not tied to any particular point in time but simply focused on getting the listener to enjoy the music for the next 45 mins (give or take a few minutes). It’s an unexpected release from the Nashville-based Womack but a fantastic addition to his catalogue.
Photo credit: Scott Willis
