Artist: JEFF BLACK
Album: 20th Century Recordings
Release Date: 2020
Label: Lotos Nile Music

Recorded at Sound Emporium Nashville
Warner Studios Nashville
Recorded by Dave Sinko
Mixed By Dave Sinko
Additional recording and mixing
by Andy Byrd
Mastered By Eric Conn
Independent Mastering Nashville

Jeff Black Vocals Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Sam Bush Mandolin Fiddle
Dave Pomeroy Acoustic and Electric Bass
Eric Silver Mandolin Dobro
Russ Pahl Steel Guitar
Larry Chaney Electric Guitars
Kenny Malone Drums Percussion
Chad Cromwell Drums
Sam Bacco Percussion
John Gardner Drums
Pete Wasner Piano
Mike Noble Acoustic Guitars

Produced By Dave Pomeroy and Jeff Black

Photograph by Michael Wilson
Design by Messo
Layout and design Torne White

Jeff Black plays LaBella Strings
Morley Pedals, Access Cases, Paige Capos
Impact Picks, Mark Franzke Instruments


Booking: Lotos Nile Music
music@jeffblack.com.com

The Ball Project ballproject.com
The Viewfinder Project theviewfinderproject.com

For Emerson and Zuzu

All songs written by Jeff Black
© Warner/Tamerlane Music BMI
© Lotos Nile Music BMI

Dit idiote jaar zit er bijna op. Bijna tijd voor een nieuw hoofdstuk. Tussendoor eerst nog de feestdagen rond de kerst. De tijd waarin je beseft wat het betekent om familie en vrienden om je heen te hebben. En het is zeker ook een tijd waarin je stil staat bij mensen die er niet (meer) bij kunnen zijn. Sentiment speelt ook een rol bij dit Jeff Black plaatje. Het lijkt niet eens zo lang geleden, maar man wat was hij nog jong! Wanneer je weet dat Blacks debuut, Birmingham Road, verscheen in 1998, dan realiseer je je dat er een lange aanloop was voordat zijn eigen muzikale carrière serieus van de grond kwam. Hij heeft eerlijk gezegd zijn debuut te danken aan één van de nummers op dit album. Het was omdat de band Blackhawk een countryhit scoorde met Jeffs That’s Just About Right. Op deze 20th Century Recordings tref je demosongs aan (vijftien in totaal), oorspronkelijk op cassette, waarmee Jeff naam probeerde te maken. Die toenmalige nummers zijn opnieuw ingespeeld met coryfeeën als Sam Bush, Dave Pomeroy, Kenny Malone, Chad Cromwell, etc. Een aantal nummers vind je terug op zijn debuut (een plaat waarop de band Wilco meespeelt – minus Jeff Tweedy) en een aantal verschenen op zijn akoestische soloplaat uit 2008 Mining for Gold, maar de meeste songs lijken mij niet eerder uitgebracht. De uitvoerende stijl is in grote lijnen amper veranderd. Met die kanttekening dat Jeff anno 2020 een meer gebalanceerd geluid laat horen. Wanneer je de albums uit het begin van zijn loopbaan erbij pakt, dan hoor je de gretigheid van een aanstormende jonge artiest, terwijl bij de huidige Jeff Black vooral berusting naast professionaliteit te horen is. Deze 20th Century Recordingslaat je daarmee het beste beluisteren van twee werelden. De ambitie van een jonge hond, die tegelijkertijd wordt getemperd door een onthaaste uitvoering. De muziek van toen wordt in perspectief geplaatst. Net als bij een artiest als Kevin Gordon, krijg ik ook bij Black de indruk dat hij alleen maar beter wordt. Voor de manier waarop Jeff zijn vroegste nummers in een nieuw verfrissend jasje propt heb ik uitsluitend waardering. Hij sluit af met één van zijn mooiste nummers, het gevoelige The Carnival Song.

- Rein van den Berg Johnny's Garden

Round And Around

I sit by myself all alone for so long
out in front of this place
And folks look at me like I’m some kind of vagrant
they don’t see my face
Man I feel guilty inside
Now surely this ain’t what I planned
I’m gonna steal something someday
There are things you can’t hold in your hand

I may never see the ocean
I’m so far from the sea
But I can feel the rain sometimes
fallin’ down on me
Then the runoff hits the river
Then the river takes it on home
And the power of the sun provides
A cycle for the storm

Man, I grew up around here
and my story is boring at best
I went to school, hey, and I found a job man
and you know the rest
Round and around I go
How I’ll get off, I don’t know
I might appear on the outside content
But what’s inside sometimes I don’t show

My whole life I’ve waited so
For someone to say, go boy, go
But precious time has come and gone
And left me with no place to run

Anxious and weary I lie to myself
that it won’t be too long
Until I can get out of this place, with goodbye
I start singing my song
Bottle of whiskey, bottle of wine
Old bottled up notions won’t die on the vine
I really don’t know what I want
And I guess that’s what throws me inside

 

That's Just About Right

my old friend lives up in the mountains
he flew up there to paint the world
he says even though
interpretation's what I count on
this little picture to me seems blurred
hard lines and the shadows come easy
I see it all just as clear as a bell
I just can't seem to set my easel to please me
I paint my heaven and it looks like hell
is it me or is my vision jaded?
if I ask you, will you tell me true?
I say, no and yes, I think the world you've painted
it's just the way that it appears to you

oh, your blue might be gray,
your less might be more
your window to the world
might be the big front door
your shinest day
might come in the middle of the night
that's just about right

he says, man I ain't coming down
until my picture is perfect
and all the wonder has gone from my eyes
down through my hands and on to the canvas
still like my vision but still a surpirse
still life he says is the hardest impression
it's always moving so I just let it come through
and that my friend i say
is the glory of true independence
just to do what you do
what you do what you do

I don't think people's visions get jaded
I think the times change and so does the truth
so in that i think the world you've painted
is just the way that it appears to you

we ended our talk
on how many friendships had faded
and nowadays what makes a picture seem real
are the simpler versions and not complicated
thanks for the brushes man I'll see you next year
so let's roll on we know what we're here for
souvenirs of all that we've seen
so write a story paint yourself and paint the town
when you look around
you know where you've been
if you wonder if your vision is jaded
you just ask someone who will tell you true
one true friend who sees all that you've painted
say hey man, that looks just like you

 

They're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone

I never thought that I’d be
hangin’ ‘round this damned ol town
I always thought the world was kinda flat
so I just kinda hung around
I got a job but it ain’t much
it sure keeps my feet down on the ground

Well I was born here I was raised here
so I’m bound to be appraised here after while
I thought that I was real cool man
they missed me at my high school by a mile
And everything I learned I let it burn
with no return in the ol fire

Someday I’m gonna draw my own map honey
And I’m gonna nail it to the wall
Chart my course, dream a lot and save my money
And they’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
Yes, they’re gonna miss me when I’m gone

Man if I have to drive this truck
around the square one more time I’m gonna bust
Everybody follows everybody, man
that’s some silly kind of trust
I’ve trusted destination long enough,
it rains a lot I’m gonna rust

Well I sat down in the parkin’ lot
of the Hy-Vee after midnight and I cried
That ol sorrow’s getting’ to me and tomorrow
I still won’t be satisfied
I’m feelin’ all unraveled, man
I throw a lot of gravel when I’m wild

Everyone in town here tells everyone
around here what to do
Man I just can’t go for that I can’t stand for that
when they do that can you
My best thinkin’s kept me here so
I best think of ways that I can move
Here I go

 

Little Pieces At A Time

Alaska Joe was an Eskimo
and here’s where he wanted to be
Down in the Gulf of Mexico
where the rivers kiss the sea
If he could find it there
he’d find it anywhere
He could find it on the way
Them folks along the Yukon
they ain’t got much to say
Now you know Joe, he’s a sourdough
so he tries to run his race
Torn between the borders
of a home and a better place

He’s going down he’s leaving soon
He’s gonna do just fine
Travelin’ to America little pieces at a time

With a farmer’s arm and a farmer’s charm
Big Jim he flew the coup
Beyond the farmer’s mutual
he could fly the loop the loop
Sell it all, burn the barn
that’s all he’s ever been
B-line for the city boys
that dirt don’t mean a thing
If he could find it there,
he’d find it anywhere
He could find it on the run
Drinkin’ beer with the auctioneer
until everything was gone

I’ll tell you all that city’s tall, but I ain’t scared a bit
And if was you, I’d scooter too
And find out where you fit

Angeline was young and clean
and damned near on her way
Never knew impossible
and had so much to say
That long brown hair was everywhere
with Grandma by her side
Walk down by the river,
your angels never die
Movin’ just meant changin’
and changin’ made her sing
Momma, sing songs to the baby
Can’t you see what change can bring

We're going down we're leaving soon
We're gonna do just fine
Travelin’ to America little pieces at a time

 

Please Be Kind

I heard a lot of people talk
about him in the past tense
And I can tell you true he’s still alive
And out among the ruins
he plays out his little war dance
The things a man’ll do just to survive

Please be kind to my friend there, he’s in trouble
He wears this world on the sleeve of his coat
Please be kind to my friend there, he’s in trouble
You push him too hard, somebody gets hurt

I don’t know a single soul
who ain’t stood in his corner
Fighting with their backs against the wall
Throwing punches at the silhouettes
like they were guards along some border
Those shadows ain’t your enemies at all

Maybe you know someone
who got lost along the way
Lord they’re trying to get back home
through these strange and crazy days
Send a little providence, send a little peace
Forget about the payback or the circumstance
that’s some other man’s machine

 

Big Revival

I seen the trucks pull in
I seen the tarp unfold
I seen em pounding in them stakes
like a big railroad
I seen em putting up the posters
and setting up chairs
There’s something going on babe
and I wanna be there

They got everything they need
to get everything done
They got the preacher, the pulpit
and the prodigal son
I’m putting on my shirt and
I’m gonna shine up my shoes
There’s a big revival
gonna get some good news

There’s a big revival rolling into town tonight
Yeah they’ll be passing the plate
I can’t wait till they show me the light
There’s a big revival
and this time honey I’m gonna go
Yeah they’ll be singing them songs
that I love, saving my soul
There’s a big revival just down the road

Dammit I told you they was coming
I could feel it in the air
They set up in the pasture
just like the fair
The top of the tent
they put a cross up for the star
So I put my little plastic Jesus on the dash of my car

God knows we’re willing
we’ve been saying our prayers
Saving up our sins for a couple of years
They said He was coming
hey now wouldn’t that be great
I want to go to Heaven and I just can’t wait

At first he started to sweat, then he started to shake
Pulled out the Gospel like a big earthquake
Held out the Bible in his big right hand
He said walk with us Jesus
through the promised land

 

Standing Still

Here comes that highway honey
Ain’t much behind us but the road
That rearview mirrors funny
It’s all fogged up and it ain’t even cold
Pretty soon I’ll hit the gas baby
I’ll admit this drivin’ fast is a chore

That man that drives the slow lane
He takes his time and that’s for sure
I do admire patience
But sometimes I’ve got to ask for more
This ain’t no treadmill baby
This here’s a trip around the world

But I won’t pass on no curve
And I won’t pass on no hill
I won’t pass’em till I’m sure
I can pass’em like they’re standin’ still
I can pass’em like they’re standin’ still

Blow a kiss and wave goodbye babe
Roll the window down and touch the wind
I know you worry honey
That you won’t see that place again
We’ll come around when time permits us
Until then the distance is your friend

Absence makes the heart grow fonder
So you and I don’t have to wonder far
To see ourselves as one together
You look so brave and beautiful
This ain’t no treadmill baby
This here’s a trip around the world

 

Walk On

I don’t know what causes that
staring at the tire flat
He just smiled and he walked away
Never had too much to say
Except oh well and he’d kinda grin
He’s a quiet and a careless man
Ain’t no need to get upset
He’d say, what you ain’t got you just go and get

My blood flows strong
my heart pounds steady
My mind is free and clear
From nearly every worry
Walk on easy, walk on free me

He must’ve walked a thousand miles
He must’ve judged a thousand trials
All conclusions came the same
A little sun, a little rain
He used to laugh at life a lot
He likes it cold and he likes it hot
Caught a ride and he found a patch
He fixed the tire and he laid some scratch

 

Today

A thousand miles an hour pal
Them poor old angel wings
They sure do take a beating
When you’re trying to beat the rain
When you think the coast is clear
You push a little harder still
Hope you have some time to kill
Somewhere along the way

Sing loud and out of tune
Please stand back I need some room
I’d like to hear some blues
but hell I’ll dance to anything
Watch yourself I’m coming through
In a flash of light so true
You can sit and think of things to say
But the only run that matters is today

With leather on my shoulder now
And a rifle in my hand
I’ll be back to haunt them bastards
Time and time again
All the ones who guard the gate
They would never set me free
I’ll poke them with the barrel boys
Until they're handing me the key

 

Here Comes The Rain Again

Even a madman
could feel the front move in
Even a man who was blind
could see the wind
It rolled through this town somehow
like a broom across my floor
Shook all my windows
and it opened up my door

Oh here comes the rain again
I feel surrounded now by my old friend
A storm’s a storm but this one here’s a gem
Here comes the rain again

Even the sunshine
sometimes needs a rest
Even the dirt dry knows
how mud pies do their best
Waterfalls and deep seeds call
for someone to set them free
Somebody somewhere
must be listening to me

I sit at my table
and the water washes clean
The dust from my window
and all the windows down the lane
Mama robin covers up
her babies with her wings And I decide to listen to
the sweet old song she sings

I see a rainbow
now I don’t know where it went
That old dirty sidewalk
looks like freshly wet cement
I guess it’s the small stuff man
that somehow makes us whole
There ain’t nothin’ like
a little storm to move my soul

 

The Engineers Dream

Sometimes he winds
his old watch kinda tight
Ever since he quit movin
things ain’t been quite right
From the railroad to the roundhouse
points far and beyond
He’s too many years
and a million miles gone

His sleep kind of suffers
so much on his mind
Overload, speed
pressure and time
With smoke round his head
his night vision sets in
When he drifts off to sleep
man he’s rollin’ again

Oh to find what you want
and to want what you need
Peace in your heart
and to build up good speed
Fire and water, now that makes the steam
And to roll on forever
is the engineer’s dream
To roll on forever
is the engineer’s dream

He calls to the porter
light your lamp and stand clear
There’s a watch on the nightstand
but there’s nobody here
Like a flash from the furnace
a dream moves the train
On a good all-night run
across the wide open plain

So he kicks off the covers
more coal more coal
Keep the fire good and hot, boys
it’s a long train to pull
As the new morning sun
paints the old windowsill
The old engineer rolls over the hill

Oh it all seemed so real
he knows it’s a dream
Like a hope in the back of your mind
There’s a plan for us all
in the grandest of schemes
To never see the end of the line

 

Old Bull

Pray for me I’m a sad old day
And I do just as I please
Me and that sweet woman
we don’t need your sympathy
Buddy you ain’t half the man I’ll ever see

Live for me though I’m on my way
Down the blood and the fire roar
With all of the truth and
all the places that I’ve been
Buddy all the stories that I ain’t ever told
You better not tangle then with this old bull
Not with my mind, not with my heart, not with my soul
Hell I used to wrestle with the whole damn world
Better not tangle then with this old bull

Love for me is a hot black night
Until the day I die
Me and that sweet woman
we still love to pitching woo
And a line like that has got to make you smile

Work for me, man it just wears me out
Driving down that road
I wish you could have seen
the way we used to pull it out
Buddy you ain’t never seen a heavy load

Life for me although I’m on my way
And I just can believe
Some folks never wonder
what it was like before they were born
Do you wonder where I’ll go when I leave

 

Lead On

Somewhere down this road
I’m supposed to turn
Right or left well I don’t know
I don’t feel too concerned
I only know I’m supposed to go
and learn all I can learn
Somewhere down this road
I’m supposed to turn

I started out
just rolling with the flow
Crying like a baby
crawling ‘cross the floor
I used to follow folks around
everywhere they go
I started out just
rolling with the flow

Lead on, lead on
open up the door
Anyplace you want to go
you’ve never been before
Anything you want to do
that you ain’t never done
Lead on, lead on my wayward son

I first learned to balance on my own
They handed me my brother’s bike
and I was almost gone
I’ve just begun to realize
that I never rode alone
Since I first learned
to balance on my own

I remember trying to wave goodbye
I kissed everyone
who needed kissing then I smiled
I hate to think about it now
but I made my mother cry
I remember trying to wave goodbye

 

Never Did Say Goodbye

You came in and out of my life
Like a lightning in a storm
And by the time the thunder rolled in
I reached for you and you were gone
I guess I barely got to know you
I guess I hardly know myself
I still have some things here for you
That I can’t give to no one else

I never did say goodbye
Never did tell you how you changed my life
‘Bout the time you came along
We got caught out in a storm
And I got lost without your light
Every time they call for rain
I reach out to touch the sky
Maybe I’ll see you again
Maybe that’s the reason why
I never did say goodbye

I get so tired of pretending
That you never flew away
Seems like I’m always defending myself
And how I think of you this way
If I can see you in my mirror
Maybe you can see me too
On a sunny day I’m feeling better
On a cloudy day I look for you

Carnival Song

I've been quite the traveler
ever since I hit the road
and the sullen county carnival
has been my earn in gold
I've been quite alone
since I remember when
I turned my ultimatums
into chips and cashed them in

I used to run the ferris wheel
but that would be hard to prove
I can't stand to see a rolling wheel
propped up so it can't move
I used to run the carousel
hell that's just round and round
and I never liked them ponies
painted up and bolted down

the only thing that's keeping me
from staying here is leaving
the only thing that saves me from it all
is I'll be gone
and just when I could trust
in all the things that I believe in
I had to pack it up and move along
and I'll tell you boys I'm not the only one

I sold my chances down at the ring toss
at the ring toss
but that was just a jaunt
I can't see throwing rings around things
you don't really want
I would run the rollercoaster
but that just breaks my heart
so much hard traveling
just to wind up where you start
now I just work the gateway
and I'm pretty satisfied
my little booth is red and blue
and I just sit inside
I just take your money
and I give tickets out to trade
I think about my life
and all the promises I made

and I'll tell you boys my work is never done
I'm still running from some things I left undone

 

All songs written by Jeff Black
© Warner/Tamerlane Music BMI