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While
the odds were certainly against him, the Apopka, Fla.,
native came to Nashville with a couple of handy tools
in his shed: a big time dream and the kind of vocal
that did and does rip through the airwaves. This voice
is a thing of wonder, it ebbs and flows, rises and falls,
all as seemingly effortless as breathing. This voice
owns resonance, tone, power, subtlety, it wails, it
moans, it shouts to the hills and from the honky tonks.
Part revival meeting, part barroom howl, it is a voice
that is absolutely one-of-a-kind. While vocal clones
of the Joneses and the Haggards of the world are everywhere,
nobody has ever even attempted to take on Anderson's
style. And who could blame them? A fine songwriter in
his own right, Anderson is a master interpreter, able
to deliver a hangdog lyric with stunning simplicity
and earnestness. He can convey the sudden sting of infidelity,
like the guy who comes to the realization his wife is
cheating from a glance over coffee on "Your Lyin'
Blue Eyes," or the man who suspects his loved one's
misdeeds because of her newfound affinity for a certain
style of music on "She Just Started Liking Cheatin'
Songs."
Sometimes
Anderson opts for soft poignancy. "1959"pines
for a less complicated time and his portrayal of blossoming
passion is dead-on. As the omnipresent observer Anderson
is dead-on when describing the potent combination of
loneliness and desperation on the ajun-inflected "Wild
and Blue," and the "Straight Tequila Night"
narrator serves up advice like a seasoned barroom pal
who knows whereof he speaks.
Nobody
does regret like John Anderson. "I Just Came Home
to Count the Memories" is a heartwrenching gem
about the reminders of “a better place and time”
that crop up everywhere in a bottomed-out life. In "I
Wish I Could Have Been There," the singer acknowledges
his mistakes and sacrifices within his family, while
at the same time knowing he is paying for those mistakes
today. On "Down in Tennessee" Anderson is
absolutely brilliant, making the hurt, pain, regret,
frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, and self-pity
palpable. In Anderson’s priceless rendition of
the classic ghost story "Long Black Veil"
the doomed man stoically meets his fate, then finds
redemption as his lover "cries over my bones."
As
tough as it is to do sorrow and pain, handling humor
effectively might be even trickier. There is a difference
between a great song that’s also funny and a straight-up
novelty song, and John Anderson knows this difference.
With his distinctive vocal and ability with a free-wheelin',
caution-to-the-wind delivery, he gets it, and wants
you in on the fun, as well. In 1983 Anderson gave country
music one of its biggest hits ever in "Swingin',"
a masterfully-delivered slice ‘o middle class country
life that manages to be both exuberant and disciplined
in its portrayal of new lovers moon-eyed while normal
life goes on around them. He returned to the style later
on outrageous without being over-the-top chestnuts "Money
in the Bank" and "Somebody Slap Me."
Raucous earlier cuts like "Chicken Truck"
and the priceless "Black Sheep" own a wry
quirkiness few others could pull off. But perhaps his
most eloquent blend of sly humor and a bittersweet career
arc is “Would You Catch a Falling Star,” told
cleverly from a narrator who has been along for the
ride.
Another
of Anderson’s best talents is his ability to induce
mood. He can paint a picture and put you in it, whether
it’s the local beer joint of "Honky Tonk Crowd,"
the gorgeous, sultry, peaceful state-of-mind that is
"Mississippi Moon," or the back pew for "Peace
in the Valley." But Anderson’s masterpiece
of time and space, future and past, is his self-penned
"Seminole Wind," a moving, heartfelt homage
to his home state's Everglades owns a conscience without
being preachy. Anderson's bold lyric and soaring vocal
take you to the land of the Seminole, lets you share
its beauty, power, and fragility like a trusted friend
shares a favorite, secret place.
His
latest recording, appropriately titled "ANTHOLOGY"
(30 songs), is a fitting, passionately delivered documentation
of a major, important country music body of work. Make
no mistake, John Anderson is one hell of a hillbilly
singer, one of the best that ever went after it. His
story is not one about marketing, promotion, videos,
game-playing, media training, or imaging. The John Anderson
story is about dedication to craft without sacrificing
one’s best instincts, about giving people what
they paid to hear over the course of thousands of shows
and a long trail of gold and platinum albums. Past,
present, and future, John Anderson represents everything
that is right with country music, matters both simple
and vastly complicated. His story is an American story,
a Southern story, a country story, a human story. And
it is indeed, a story beautifully told.
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