ALBUM REVIEW: Flannery O’Connor Dwells in Songs of Colin Cutler’s ‘Tarwater’
Rachel Cholst
Posted On October 31, 2023
Colin Cutler’s life has many threads: a former Pentecostal Christian, a military veteran, a troubadour who bummed rides across Europe, and a community college instructor, it all leads to one magnificent tapestry of roots music on Tarwater. The album is named for both a Flannery O’Connor character and his father’s hometown at the junction of the Tar and Pamlico rivers in North Carolina.
Colin Cutler (photo by David Hutchinson)
O’Connor’s influence can be felt throughout the album. Cutler discovered the renowned Southern writer when he returned to school after his stint in the Army. Having run from his own evangelical community, Cutler deeply identified with O’Connor’s characters who found themselves haunted by others’ prescriptions of religious observance. “Parker’s Back” is a literal retelling of one of O’Connor’s short stories of the same title, but we can hear Cutler’s personal resonance with the story of a man who sets off on his own, only to meet disapproval by his conservative Christian community when he returns.
At times, that rejection is felt as anger. “A New Tattoo” and “Bad Man’s Easy” function as rumbling Southern rockers, with Cutler’s voice transforming into a gravelly bass that revels in sin even as the characters know their actions will catch up with them later.
“Run to the River” is markedly vulnerable, a simple song that also showcases Cutler’s banjo picking. His warm rasp depicts isolation and a return to the fold (so to speak) with a hint of bittersweet nostalgia. It’s an acknowledgment that you can’t go home again, but perhaps there are ways to create a home that suits you better.
Cutler shows his dynamism with several recreations of compositions written prior to Tarwater. The blues-inspired cry of “Mama, Don’t Know Where Heaven Is” transforms into a joyful gospel soul with “Mama, Don’t Know (Reprise).” The narrator’s despair becomes a sort of resigned joyfulness, a celebration of the unknown roads that stretch out away from us while we travel this mortal coil.
With this album, Cutler has achieved the artist’s mission of exploring and celebrating all aspects of himself, all while translating his singular experience into something universal. Tarwater is above all a celebration of the South and its sins: its music, its faith, its repressiveness, and its wild diversity.
Colin Cutler’s Tarwater is out Nov. 3.
