Steel Tears was the seventh and final album multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
Sandy Bull issued during his lifetime and his only vocal album. It was originally released in 1996, the same year he underwent his first surgical procedure to treat the lung cancer that would kill him in 2001.
Omnivore's reissue includes four previously unissued bonus cuts from the original recording sessions and three "tributes" by his Nashville pals (where he lived during the last decade of his life) who include
Jeff Hanna,
Mickey Raphael, and
Matraca Berg, among others. These latter tracks are assembled under the subtitle "Endventions & Tributes."
Bull loved country music as much as any genre he applied himself to. The reason for singing was simple: Country songs usually need vocals. But
Steel Tears is no ordinary country record as much as 1969's
E Pluribus Unum is no standard folk recording. One need listen no further than the set's opening track -- "Arabalabama" -- for evidence.
Bull is backed by
Jerry Douglas on dobro,
Eric Shouse on fiddle, and
Harry Stinson on drums. Alongside his flatpicked electric bluegrass and punky banjo are shifting rhythms that directly reference early
Sugarhill Gang records. He follows it by offering a straight honky tonk cover of "Long as We're Dreaming" (the
George Jones/
Melba Montgomery hit) in duet with
Ginger Grosney. The whining of
Bull's pedal steel against his barroom piano is evocative of an earlier, simpler time. He was also hip to Nashville's once-burgeoning R&B scene, which he pays homage to in covering
Holland-Dozier-Holland's
Motown classic "Can I Get a Witness" complete with horns and chorus vocals from
Kevin Welch and
Sam Phillips. "Love Is Forever" -- on which he plays everything but drums (
Stinson) -- began life as an oud tune inspired by
Barry White. It's arguably the finest track here. Other highlights include the honky tonk ballad "I Don't Care," penned by
Cindy Walker and
Webb Pierce and
Willie Nelson's "It Should Be Easier Now."
Bull's singing voice is an acquired taste; it's grainy, thin, and reedy; occasionally it's off-key. But those vocals are simply another instrument in his mix: Check the closing-time country waltz in the title track, as
Bull's steel mirrors and supports his singing. From the bonus material, fans will delight in the guitar instrumentals including "Rhumba," a Cuban-cum-country jam with killer guitars, piano, and programming. It goes on for nearly 14 minutes. Also notable for the same reasons are the two brief sketches entitled "Nagra Sarod (Take 1)," and "Nagra Guitar (Take 1)" that recall his earlier career explorations.
Steel Tears is not
Bull's finest recording, but it is one that holds within it more than a little of the magic that drew listeners to his
Vanguard Records material; it should be considered essential for hardcore devotees. Alongside the music are rare photographs and an excellent liner essay by
Joe Hagan. ~ Thom Jurek
