All I have to do is think of Pride, Matthew Houck’s staggering second outing as Phosphorescent, and I get a lump wedged deep in my throat. Within the eight dark, meditative hymns lay a ghostly figure at large; haunting Houck’s deeply personal musings and rattling between every softly sung word. It carried the same emotional depth as Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago (self-released by Justin Vernon the same year) but perhaps didn’t possess the same commercial chops that led Vernon’s debut to become a worldwide phenomenon.
If Pride was the dark side of Houck’s alter-ego Phosphorescent, then Here’s To Taking It Easy – the new album due for release in May – is most certainly the light. Perhaps inspired by last year’s Willie Nelson covers record To Willie, Taking It Easy reveals a new country inspired direction for Houck.
Today’s Song Of The Day, “It’s Hard To Be Humble”, acts as a perfect introduction to the record. Four to the floor drums, kick horns and a rip roaring pedal steel guitar recall Gram Parsons’ “Ooh Las Vegas”, Uncle Tupelo’s “Chickamauga” or Wilco’s “Monday” – three classic country tracks that boast Gram Parsons’ vivid image of a Cosmic American Music. A sound that many Americana acts try to emulate but few manage to execute without sounding like a cheap homage, or worse, a bad bar band.
“It’s Hard To Be Humble” is the Cosmic American Music that Gram Parsons fought so hard to achieve back in the late sixties. A cross-over of country, soul and rockabilly played with such aplomb and swagger all you need do is sit back and let the good times roll. After the heartache and demons that made up Pride, it’s really all you can do.
Phosphorescent: “It’s Hard to Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)”
