Kort McCumber Releases New Album, Raises The bar With One Of The Best Americana Albums Of 2009
B. Dutch Seyfarth
Posted On July 31, 2009
The last few months in my family have been a challenge of the sort that we all go through at one time or another: relationships coming to an end, new relationships forming, love, pain, and the whole crazy thing (to quote Keith Urban). With all of this as my recent frame of reference in life, perhaps the new album from Colorado’s Kort McCumber couldn’t have come at a better time. A good musician can make you forget about your troubles for a little while; a great musician can provide words of encouragement and sympathy that stick in your psyche and grease the wheels of progress to transcend the monotonous grind of daily life.
Kort McCumber’s new album “Ain’t the Same as Before” is that truly great album and KortMcCumber has eased into the role of a truly great musician.
The absolute best track of “Ain’t the Same as Before” has to be track four, the uptempo country rock song “Pay the Fiddler” which eloquently covers the subjects of modern day greed and corporate shenanigans better than damn near any song I’ve ever heard yet. The rest of the brilliantly produced album is a blend of haunting ballads, simmering country blues, and folk rock that recounts other tales of the difficulties of a man meandering his way through life’s challenges. Much to my delight whether intentional or not, I kept noticing a profound Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits-esque emotional sparseness from the lead guitar throughout the record which complimented the heartfelt lyrics of each song as well.
While most records americana records released by well known artists this year so far have all been pretty good, I’d have to say that the difference between Kort’s new record and all of the other releases thus far in 2009 is sorta like the difference between a running into a familiar acquaintance or sharing a beer with an old friend. After almost 2 months of repeated listens to Kort’s new album, I continue to find new treasures buried in the songs that somehow comfort me or give words to the frustrations of modern daily life. For these reasons alone, Kort McCumber’s fantastic new album gets my vote for best americana album of 2009.
