Tom Ovans, born just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and now
resident
in Austin Texas, by way of a lengthy domicile in Nashville, has released
his fifth album, 'The Beat Trade' on West London independent label, Floating
World.
The growing band of fans who picked up
on Tom's last album, 'Dead South',
will find much to savor across the twelve tracks that make up 'The Beat Trade'.
Once more, Tom casts a troubled eye
over the land that is his home, and paints a disturbed and disturbing picture. The
music is hewn from the same spare, austere, flinty bedrock that so
characterized 'Dead South', but the tension level is stretched still higher. The album's
opener, 'The Monkeys Have Landed', marries Ovans' distinctly jaundiced worldview to music
that shuffles along like a snake, tricked out with bluesy guitar contributions from Robert
McEntee.
Check out 'Salvation', which needs little more than one chord, some delicate electric
guitar shading behind Tom's acoustic picking, and a claustrophobic
backing voice shadowing that dust-dry, cracked Ovans vocal lead to conjure
up a truly scary, apocalyptic vista. Or then there's 'Tell Me Babe', which utilizes a
descending jazz / blues chord sequence as the underpinning to a twisted song of
despairing, wracked emotion. Even the tender ballad, 'Just To Be With You' is
unsentimental, despite the warmth of its mandolin and guitar accompaniment.
It's not easy listening, but it is music for the deep dark hours of night when the
morning seems a long, long way off.
Critical praise for 'Dead South' included a four-star review in 'Q', whilst Mojo's Paul Du Noyer described Ovans thusly:
"... in his own way, a
heavyweight. Numbers like 'The Folksinger' are as serious as anything written since Bruce
Springsteen's 'Tom Joad' cycle."
High praise indeed.
Track Listing: The Monkeys Have Landed / What About You? / Going
Someplace / Hey Woody Guthrie / Salvation / Tell Me Babe / Rebel
Roadside / Just To Be With You / Can't Blame Her None / Bozo World /
There Are Times / Where The Moon Shines Bright