Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth

Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide to Earth
2016
Spotify

Drive By Truckers, Jason Isbell and Margo Price are all examples of Country artists wrestling their genre back from the clutches of pop. None of them would claim it's what they are doing, but everyone on the outside looking in can clearly see what is going on in the genre. But then there's Sturgill Simpson. He could easily be put in the same category as those other artists, and often is, but this record is something different entirely. It might be country, but it is also intensely American. Big horns, big guitars just basically a wall of sound coming at you from musicians who have honed their craft over years and years. "Keep It Between the Lines" simply has it all. It is a song that is super massive, but feels like it is coming from the diveyist bar in the world. That is one of the strengths of these country artists, there is almost zero ego in their songs. The usual bluster that comes out of modern country music is quite off putting and never feels authentic. A Sailor's Guide to Earth drips with authenticity. Even when Simpson is doing a cover like with "In Bloom" (Nirvana) he makes it completely his own. The cover however is a strange choice for an album with a 38 minute run time. The narrative of the album is tends to side on the nautical theme and the struggles of a Navy man dealing with on going war and living back some.

The space that this record fills up really is incredible. It strikes just like lightning, illuminating it's surroundings for a brief moment, leaving us all in awe then passing away. Simpson could have easily banked on the success of his 2014 Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and just done a sequel. However he changed, he developed and dove head first into something new. Because the record is so enthralling musically you tend to forget how great the lyrics are behind it. Simpson gets right at the emotional heart of songs, cutting straight through leaving the flowery language behind. "Call To Arms" the final track on the album and also one of the longest really lets the groove roll. It's big and it's bad and it sounds like it doesn't give a fuck, the way this music really should sound when it's done at it's highest level. All the best elements of American music are here, right on display for you to enjoy. Really you could not ask for a better follow up, a better sounding or more fun album from Sturgill Simpson. Don't hesitate or balk at the country label, listen to this record and hear for yourself.

8.9 out of 10