CD Review

by Bob McKillop

“Summerbirds” is Rod Picott’s 2007 release of eleven songs that are lyrically sophisticated, delightfully eclectic, and masterfully written and produced.   The first half of the record is full of Steve Forbert-ish folk-rock tunes laced with electric guitar riffs. The later half pulls back into simpler, more intimate songs grounded in acoustic guitar, strings, and groove percussion.  Picott’s experience and success as a Nashville songsmith brings structure, compactness, and craft, and yet there are plenty of creative surprises in these tunes.

Picott’s forte as a songwriter and producer is weaving rich texture into his songs.  Meters change several times as they run along a constant tempo; lyrics repeat across different melodic phrases; small patches of harmonies from unexpected instruments and sound effects appear across the track’s landscape.  It’s very interesting and very engaging music.

The favorite subject on this disc seems to be young, abandoned, exploited, and vulnerable women who are surviving a harsh emotional landscape, and who are searching for their identity and destiny.  There are several allusions to torn, grass-stained, or un-done dresses, and girls who are a “pretty mess”.   Perhaps these are the “summerbirds” of the title.

But there is plenty of other material to digest in these songs, including the devotion in a friendship, the echoes in a failed relationship, and the remorse in a badly lived life.  Picott is very good at pointing to the flotsam on the beach, and getting us to sense the spiritual and emotional storms that tossed it there for us to find.

“Sinner’s Prayer” sounds like the inner thoughts of a person with regrets about their life.  The sonic pallet builds sequentially through the verses as the narrator in the song goes deeper into his remorse.  The minor key and reverb-laden electric guitar riffs generate a tense mood, an expectation of imminent reproof. 

“I’m not living like I should

I want to be a better man

Sinner’s prayer upon my lips

Broken promise in my hand

I know that there will come a day

A heavy price I’ll have to pay

I keep pretending to be good

But I’m not living like I should”

 

“When Your Bird Won’t Fly” is a rock anthem of devotion and reassurance, of dependability and promises that will be kept.  Driving kick and snare, splash cymbals, power chords, thumping bass, strings, and a whispering organ tone in the background like a conscience.

“When your rocking horse has gone astray

And pitched and spilled all your dreams away

I’ll be right beside you to catch the tears you weep

There’s a promise carved inside my heart that I’m gonna keep…

I’ll be on your side when your bird won’t fly”

 

“You Can’t Talk to Me Like That Anymore” is a slow 2/4 time ballad carried along by a snare beat and a simple picked guitar accompaniment.  A sad cello backs the pained, yet defiant voice of a broken hearted man telling his old lover that she needs to leave him alone.

“So you can’t write me notes and call me up at work

And act like nothing changed cause all that does is hurt

Yes, I know this jacket don’t go with this shirt

But you can’t talk like that anymore

When I close my eyes, you almost disappear

No matter where I try to hide, your words still find me here”

 

Rod Picott and David Henry co-produced Slaid Cleaves 2006 Rounder Records release “Unsung’, and they team up again for this effort by Picott.  The sound on this record is very pleasing; there’s lots of music, but the vocals stay up front, each instrument is easy to locate, and nothing gets lost.  As I listened to the songs, I found myself sensing new elements, like puzzles, in the mix that I was driven to identify.  It’s a fun set of tracks, and it keeps you interested and engaged.

Rod Picott will be appearing at One Longfellow Square in Portland on April 18, along with Amanda Shires.  The music on “Summerbirds” is finely crafted, richly textured, and very satisfying. You can purchase “Summerbirds” at the concert, or from his official website at http://www.rodpicott.com/.