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First, there's that title. Then there's the sepia cover depicting a dry
field, bare trees and a small wooden cabin. The song titles mention creeks
and outlaws. The music comes washed in pedal steel guitar, brushed drums and
the occasional pluck of a banjo. It would be hard to find a debut album that
worked any harder to demonstrate its authentic Americana credentials.
Even at the tender age of twenty, Dylan LeBlanc at least
has the history and the connections. His father was a session musician at
Muscle Shoals, which introduced the young Dylan to many great musicians
(including Spooner Oldham) and fed his burgeoning love of music.
LeBlanc has the appearance of the young Townes Van Zandt. He is a
more than competent guitar picker and there can be no doubt that he has
absorbed the tradition of southern soul.
Musically, the meticulously produced Paupers Field resembles the dusty
sound of Neil Young circa Harvest Moon, with a light glow of reverb.
Occasionally, it perhaps sounds like a less dramatic Calexico.
Vocally, it is hard to escape the fact that LeBlanc's slightly nasal tones
are strongly reminiscent of Ryan Adams, the last greatly hyped
wunderkind of contemporary Americana. Whether consciously or not, it's
mercifully the Adams of Heartbreaker rather than the Adams of Cardinology or
Rock n' Roll that LeBlanc appears to be channelling. Regardless of its
themes (which cover grief, drifting and outlaw deaths), this is comforting,
familiar music with the effect of a home fire providing warmth in winter
months. If Adams is no longer prepared to make albums like this, it's
probably a good thing that someone else is prepared to step in.
There are a handful of songs on Paupers Field that are articulate and
engaging. The highlight is probably If The Creek Don't Rise, a gently
rustling, affecting ballad that features characteristically convincing
backing vocals from Emmylou Harris. Tuesday Night Rain has a gorgeous
southern soul lilt that really allows LeBlanc's empathetic voice to shine,
whilst 5th Avenue Bar and Emma Hartley are delicate and melancholy. The
amiable shuffle of If Time Was For Wasting seems perfectly suited to its
title. The playing throughout is sensitive and understated, demonstrating a
thorough understanding of arrangement and dynamics.
Still, a lingering doubt remains that there's something a little worthy
and studied about Paupers Field. As well executed as it is, it never sounds
truly distinctive. Occasionally, it sounds as if LeBlanc is learning well
from his predecessors and also from some of his contemporaries (Fleet
Foxes particularly) but without ever quite finding a personal, unique
voice. Songs like Ain't Too Good At Losing and No Kind Of Forgiveness deal
in well-worn vocabulary and pass by pleasantly without making much of an
impact. Nothing here has quite the grit or passion of Dan Penn's Dark
End Of The Street or Tony Joe White's Rainy Night In Georgia.
There is of course still plenty of time for LeBlanc to develop as a
singer and a writer, should the fickle music industry afford him the
opportunity and space to do this. Paupers Field demonstrates that he is a
musician and writer of ample talent. The line on Changing of the Seasons
about him having "been around the block many times...too many for my age"
neatly encapsulates the traditional, rootsy feel and contemplative themes of
his music. Paupers Field is a sometimes excellent, never less than
listenable album � but it seems like a starting point rather than an initial
triumph.
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