David Childers latest disc is much more closely representative of the brilliance that radiates from the big man at his live shows than any of his previous releases have been. Produced by Don Dixon, Room 23 is country flavored, with occasional elements of roots-rock and English pop.
Childers plays his beat-up Gibson acoustic and is accompanied by son Rob Childers on drums, Penn Dameron on bass and back up vocals, and Eric Lovell on lead guitar, mandolin, steel guitar, and background vocals. While the band is extremely tight, its the songwriting that stands out.
The honky-tonker Hardwood Killing Floor captures a man determined to drink himself to death to try and ease his broken heart. The swinging Her Side Of The Story, with machine-gun drumming and stinging lead guitar, finds Childers trying to explain that this broken relationship isnt all his fault unlike on I Was The One, where it IS all his fault.
Childers songs are little slices of life, often the dark side songs of regret, missed opportunities, and lives that didnt quite measure up to the dreams of youth. One More Run is about realizing middle age is upon you, but trying to give it one last shot at the brass ring.
