The Flatlanders - Hills and Valleys Review
Posted by James McGee on 04.15.2009
The Legend of the Flatlanders continues with their latest album--a poignant piece of alt-country magic...
1. Homeland Refugee
2. Borderless Love
3. After the Storm
4. Wishing for a Rainbow
5. No Way I’ll Never Need You
6. Just About Time
7. Love’s Own Chains
8. Cry For Freedom
9. The Way We Are
10. Thank God for the Road
11. Free The Wind
12. Sowing On the Mountain
13. There’s Never Been
The Flatlanders have an unconventional story befitting their eclectic style. Comprised of Texas alt-country legends Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, the band first formed in 1972, only to disband the following year after their debut single (Gilmore’s “Dallas”) and the accompanying album were commercial failures. That’s where the tale would end for most bands—just another casualty of the competitive music business. But the Flatlanders weren’t done yet.
Fast forward almost twenty years to find the three individual members with thriving solo careers, and a kind of cult-buzz surrounding their first, ill-fated collaboration. Rounder Records re-releases the first album (aptly renamed More a Legend Than a Band) in 1991, suddenly introducing a lost band to a whole new audience.
However, it would not be until 2002 that the Flatlanders would release a follow up album. Based on that near-thirty-year gap, the band has been positively prolific in the twenty-first century. Hills and Valleys is the third studio album from Ely, Gilmore and Hancock this decade, and while it may not be the earth-shattering revelation you might expect from such a legendary band, it’s a solid, comforting reminder that there’s still a place in this uber-commercialized industry for three old friends to just have a good time playing together.
There is no overarching theme to Hills and Valleys, but the songs all share a thoughtful core. The album opens with “Homeland Refugee,” far and away the collection’s stand-out track. The song plays out like a reverse Grapes of Wrath with the narrator “leaving California for the dustbowl.” Ely references everything from West-Coast wild-fires to economic hard times as he leads the listener on an odyssey through the growing wasteland of cast-off American dreams, ending with an image of Mexican immigrants and the poignant sentiment that “We’re all just migrants on this earth/Returning to the dust from where we came.” The piece isn’t overly political or preachy—it’s just an observation. The Flatlanders are professional world-watchers, sharing their particular philosophy through song. If there is a “message” in Hills and Valleys, it is as simple and complex as that.
Not all the songs take on such weighty themes, but that introspective edge sticks around. “Thank God For the Road” is, as you’d expect, a tribute to the highway, with a love song to life hidden beneath the superficial country cliché. Gilmore offers up two of the album’s lighter numbers with “No Way I’ll Never Need You” and “The Way We Are.” Both are playful, sweet and sincere love songs, but the subject is up for grabs. A lover? Old friends (his band-mates, perhaps)? Or just the human race in general? There’s always a little more going on under the surface with a Flatlanders song, and they deserve more than a passing first listen to fully appreciate. However, that layered ambiguity sometimes gives way to corny lyrical flares (“It goes without saying that I must say/Some things are better left unsaid”). Though few and far between, these instances come off as strained attempts at being clever, undermining the subtler beauty of the album as a whole.
Though all three performers come from the same Texas origins, they bring diverse styles and influences to the band. Ely is the rocker, Gilmore’s sound is rooted in honky tonk-style country, and Hancock brings the folk element into play. Though each man has a distinctive vocal delivery, they compliment each other well. There’s no front man here—everyone shares the singing duties equally, simply trading off verses among the three of them in most cases. But the real magic happens when the three voices combine. Somehow, Ely’s gruff growl, Hancock’s shaky delivery, and Gilmore’s warbling tenor meld into a beautiful harmony. While the song-writing and arrangements can sometimes be a mixed bag, the one constant is that the Flatlanders have a great, rough-around-the edges sound.
As a whole, Hills and Valleys is a pretty subdued affair, with Ely’s rocky roots suppressed for the most part (but by no means stifled—“Loves Own Chains” and “Cry for Freedom” are noticeably edgier.) Producer Lloyd Maines ensures that the album stays Country with a capital “C,” though it sometimes feels a little too slick. There’s a hint of Mexican polka and the always-eclectic saw-harp, but for the most part, Hills and Valleys sounds a little over-produced. The canned sound of early 1990s country comes to mind. It’s better than the pseudo-pop dominating country airwaves today, but the vibe of the album—three guys just hanging out making music—begs for a more raw, informal arrangement.
Ultimately, though, any criticism leveled at Hills and Valleys will likely carry little weight with the Flatlanders, and that is the album’s most enduring quality. These three performers have nothing to prove. They did not try to write any catchy singles. They’re not looking to sell millions of albums. Their legacy—both as a band and individuals—has long since been cemented in music lore. They are simply three old friends who enjoy making music together, a fact that permeates this album. Forty years after their storied beginnings, the Flatlanders are still in it for the right reasons, and that is something to be admired as much as their music.
The 411: Aptly named, Hills and Valleys has several high points, punctuated by middling lows. Many of the songs are poignant and philosophical, while others feel more like experiments that didn’t quite work out. The trio sounds great together, but their vocal excellence is somewhat undermined by too-polished arrangements. Flaws aside, the heart and soul of the album is a commendable piece of alt-country/folk/Americana compiled by three legendary friends that still love what they do.
