30 January 2024
Critically acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter Jeff Talmadge has just released his new album, “Sparrow.” The Uvalde native began making music at the turn of the 20th century, recording seven albums at a quick clip. But it’s been a decade since his last effort.
Songs like the weather-worn “Hurricane” or the tender “Forgiveness” echo Lone Star antecedents like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle and James McMurtry. The winsome “Katie’s Got a Locket” wraps honeyed dobro notes around a story of missed opportunities and dashed hopes.
The best tracks wed nuanced narratives to wily arrangements and infectious melodies. Take “Devil’s Highway, lyrics chronicle a downward slide “built on thrills and spills, cocaine alcohol and pills.” Meanwhile, on “The Sound of Falling Snow” shimmering guitars brush up against mournful slide guitar and sparkling piano. Lyrics are rife with poignant epiphanies like “a heart won’t break if you let it bend.”
Finally, “Maybe Next Year” is a willowy roundelay powered by cascading guitars, thready bass, sylvan keys, chunky djembe and tambourine. Hopeful lyrics yearn for “one more dance in the moonlight, one more kiss please.”
Other interesting tracks include the lofty “If I Was A Sparrow,” the ephemeral “Little Speck Of Dust” and the evocative “Night Train From Milan.” The album closes with the wistful instrumental, “Top Of The Hour.”
Anyone who appreciates the honey and wood smoke of Iowa troubadour Greg Brown, the Folky reveries of Steve Forbert, and the Country comfort of Rodney Crowell will find a kindred spirit in Jeff Talmadge
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
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