Over the last decade, Idaho-born Jeff Crosby’s been ploughing a furrow of downtempo country to a degree of both commercial and critical acclaim. This UK release of ‘Walking Days’ includes two earlier tracks which were featured on ‘Sons of Anarchy’ – the kind of exposure that’s inevitably given him some cache, as well as a major foot into the UK market.
Instinctively, I feel a compulsion to call upon his authenticity. He’s a bearded, double-denim longhair. His backing band, The Refugees, feature his brother, who’s clutching a bottle of bourbon in some of the press shots, which feature a woodland backdrop that says ‘rural, smalltown America, lumberjacking, blue collar’. His blog is penned in a conversational manner, and with a distinct absence of the letter ‘g’ at the end of words: ‘Hope your all havin a great weekend. I’m layin low in Idaho after an insane couple weeks.’
Am I being snobbish, or are these mebbe indications of an artist tryin too hard to be the real deal?
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Needless to say, there are countless music fans who don’t give to hoots about authenticity, and I’m not suggesting for a second that Crosby is some kind of Seasick Steve alter-ego fabrication. Similarly, I’m not challenging his musicianship, or his songwriting. Or his vocals, for that matter. And given his touring schedule, I’m not going to call him on his commitment, and in terms of his being a committed, on-the -road, working musician, he’s got a lot going for him.
‘Walking Days’ is a fine album, and while its rather downbeat country vibe doesn’t do much for me, it’s not hard to see the appeal.
Jeff Crosby Online
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