Adam Carroll— Some Songs I Wrote Songbook
Frank Gutch Jr.
Posted On December 20, 2017
Like Adam Carroll does not enough on his plate, some fans kept bugging him about a songbook and I think he just plain got tired of hearing it, so he wrote one. Maybe not as fancy as it could be. Maybe missing the bells and whistles some musicians give their work. It is basic and simple, just a paragraph about the song (tossing in the occasional name to make it interesting), a small bit of folk art by Jon Dee Graham for each one, and lyrics and chord chart. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
But wait. There is something to see here. Carroll has taken the road less taken in his approach. The notes are very personal and not at all technical. The songs are chosen carefully. Musicians will easily get what Carroll is attempting to do, but so will the layman.
How can you not get behind a paragraph (explaining the song Blondie & Dagwood) which begins with “I wonder what Blondie sees in Dagwood Bumstead?”. Most of you probably don’t know the reference but if you did you would know both the comic strip and the movies and everything else Blondie. The movies… my God, there were a ton of ’em. Leave it up to Carroll to make them the subject of a song, and a damn good one too. (On a side note, there is also a Dagwood sandwich (he was always making or eating one) and even a Bumstead Records label in Canada).
Every song included gives me enough background to envision the writing, even if it is just in my head. Songs like “Girl With the Dirty Hair” and “Oklahoma Gypsy Shuffler”, both songs which sound like they had to be written in Texas and nowhere else.
You’re not sure? Best thing would be for you to head on down to the local record store and ask about him. Or check out his website @ adamcarroll.com. Find a way to listen to the songs. Then make up your mind.
As for the illustrations? They are as classic as some of Jon Dee Graham’s songs and fit the feel of the songbook to a T. Life seems to be casual down in Austin. Barbecue and music. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Man, that Carroll guy sure put out a lot of albums, and he ain’t even close to done. Mezcalita Press.
