ALBUM REVIEW: Chatham County Line Roams New Frontiers on ‘Hiyo’

“Hiyo” is how the Lone Ranger would goad his horse, Silver, into their next adventure in the Wild West. As the title of Chatham County Line’s newest album, it’s a call to saddle up for the band’s latest foray into the sonic wilderness.

It’s been more than 20 years since this band arose from the rich musical soil in Raleigh, North Carolina, steeped in the region’s flavors of country, bluegrass, folk, rock, and blues. In that time they’ve never shied away from new musical frontiers, keeping songwriting at their core but forever finding new sounds and tones to add to their pack.

Hiyo is Chatham County Line’s 10th album, but their first without banjo player Chandler Holt, who stepped away from the band after they recorded their 2020 album Strange Fascination (ND review). Proceeding now as a trio, guitarist and lead singer Dave Wilson, mandolin and fiddle player John Teer, and Greg Readling on bass, keys, and pedal steel took the opportunity to reshape their sound, folding more electronic sounds and percussion into their mix than ever before. That’s apparent right away on first song “Right on Time”: Wilson’s electric guitar pairs perfectly with Teer’s mandolin for a story about an unexpected new love coming along for the ride down the open road. The lyrics revel in possibility, and so does the music, setting the tone for the wide exploration to come on the rest of Hiyo.

“Magic” kicks off with a cascade of synthesizer tones that burst like a firework into a song about anticipation. The sound is pure joy, but the lyrics acknowledge that that’s a fleeting feeling, one that can come crashing down at any time. The song’s video sets that sentiment against the backdrop of attending a concert. (Fun fact: The band filmed it at Shania Twain’s 2023 tour stop in Raleigh.) For one night, at least, everything is perfect, thanks to the magic of music.

When Chatham County Line does allow a musical look backward, it’s with an eye toward innovation. Their cover here of Hank Cochran’s (but, really, Patsy Cline’s) “She’s Got You” is astonishing. Guitar and banjo warp and weave with other sounds to create a mournful bed for Wilson’s heartfelt, heartbreaking vocal. And “Way Down Yonder” is a refreshing update on the murder ballad tradition, steering away from the easy, awful trope of violence against a woman to tell a more complex story.

From left, Chatham County Line’s John Teer, Dave Wilson, and Greg Readling (photo by York Wilson)

After a string of albums with Wilson and his bandmates handling production, Wilson co-produced Hiyo with engineer Rachael Moore, who helped guide the band down new roads while still keeping sight of their roots. They met on the set of the 2022 Showtime series George & Tammy, where Moore worked as a music producer. Behind Michael Shannon as George Jones and Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette, Chatham County Line portrayed Nashville’s A-Team session players, with Teer as Harold Bradley and Wilson as Pig Robbins. It was a side trip into another time and another medium, and it’s hard to think of a band better suited for that kind of creative challenge.

Hiyo signs off with “Summerline,” a new song that feels like a century-old classic played through a warm vintage radio. Wilson croons the vocals along with Readling’s languorous piano chords, but then the pace picks up, adding saxophone from The Mountain Goats’ Matt Douglas and a steady drumbeat to deliver us back into the present. The song and all of Hiyo are the best kind of musical caper. Your ears and your heart go on a wide-ranging adventure, but all the while you feel right at home.

Chatham County Line’s Hiyo is out Jan. 26 on Yep Roc Records.