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James McMurtry
Written by Dante Dominick   

Just Us Kids

 

JAMES McMURTRY
Just Us Kids
Lightning Rod Records
(Release Date: 4.15.08)

 

McMurtry must be on a motif, following up the critically lauded Childish Things (2005) with this month’s Just Us Kids. Included in the theme is McMurtry’s continued evolution into our generation’s Bob Dylan or Neil Young: master of the biting political protest song. Just like his predecessors, McMurtry smartly plays the social commentary card sparingly enough to avoid being pigeonholed. After all, we haven’t been clamoring for the next Phil Ochs for the past 30 years. 

Just Us Kids features the gritty, dusty road rock of his longtime touring band (Darren Hess, drums; Ronnie Johnson, bass) expanded into a fuller studio sound. Ian McLagan (Faces, The Bump Band) sprinkles keys through much of the record, and pat mAcdonald (Timbuk3) adds harmonica on many cuts. Louisiana swamp rocker C.C. Addock cameos on the four-on-the-floor opener, “Bayou Tortous.” While the anti-war songs might again get more notice, McMurtry’s original calling card is still his bread and butter: capturing slices of life from flyover America. His characters are folks from the outskirts of society. Many are seedy, but McMurtry seems to stress not to hold it against anybody.

 
His venom is especially sharp on the aforementioned protest songs. “God Bless America” chronicles, with little dressing, what we’re willing to accept to maintain our oil supply. (“We’ll suck it all up through the barrel of a gun…Tell me ain’t you proud of what we’ve done.”) “Cheney’s Toy” veils even less, portraying President W. as a talking-head lackey, and more poignantly, the direction of our country in general. (“One more pin on one more shoulder, is all the future brings.”)

All in all, Just Us Kids continues the McMurtry dichotomy: powerful Crazy Horse-style roots rock worth listening to even without lyrics…with powerful lyrics worth reading even without the music.

                                                                                                              

 
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