High Top Mountain

by Sturgill Simpson

Overview

As soon as High Top Mountain begins to unspool, it's hard to shake the feeling that Sturgill Simpson's 2013 debut isn't some kind of tribute to Waylon Jennings. When the tempo slows down and the arrangements are stripped to an acoustic guitar, he can at times recall Jamey Johnson, but that troubadour himself owes a significant debt to Waylon, so having the slow tunes conjure Johnson isn't a dramatic shift in tone, but it does give High Top Mountain a bit of depth, suggesting Simpson knows he does not reside in 1978. He'll admit as much in the lyrics -- he'll grudgingly accept the internet and other inconveniences of modern life -- but the sound belongs to the late-'70s and Simpson is particularly fond of the hard, lean, rolling sound of Waylon's outlaw period, molding his band and songs after the records that came after Honky Tonk Heroes. If Simpson doesn't have the gravity of Jennings in his voice, he compensates with attitude, taking his sweet time to re-capture the long, languid strut of Waylon. Simpson's ace in the hole is how he can craft a song -- he can conjure the spirit of Jennings, never sounding as overwhelming as Waylon, but he can capture the muscular inevitability that pulsated through the peak of outlaw country. High Top Mountain doesn't succumb to the weaknesses of prime outlaw -- the tunes aren't tired, they're fresh, often deriving from Simpson's pen -- and his evident passion means High Top Mountain feels fresh even if it so clearly means to conjure the ghosts of the '70s in every one of its songs and every one of its performances. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/11/2013
Label:	High Top Mountain
UPC:	0794504787146
Rank:	4125

Tracks

1. Life Ain't Fair and the World is Mean
2. Railroad of Sin
3. Water In a Well
4. Sitting Here Without You
5. The Storm
6. You Can Have the Crown
7. Time After All
8. Hero
9. Some Days
10. Old King Coal
11. Poor Rambler
12. I'd Have To Be Crazy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sturgill Simpson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Telecaster,Guitar (Acoustic)
Leroy Powell   Guitar (Steel),Vocals (Background)
Robby Turner   Bass,Guitar (Steel)
Dave Cobb   Guitar (12 String Electric)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Piano
Chris Powell   Drums
Bobby "Diamond Bob" Emmett   Organ,Mellotron
Bryan "Freedom Eagle Bear" Allen   Bass

Technical Credits

Steven Fromholz   Composer
Vance Powell   Mixing,Engineer
Richard Dodd   Mastering
Ralph Stanley   Composer
Dave Cobb   Producer
Jason Mott   Assistant Engineer
Ray Cline   Composer
Kimberly Levitan   Design
Melissa Madison Fuller   Photography
Sturgill Simpson   Composer
Pastor Jim Harris   Cover Art