Lewi Longmire - Fire 'Neath the Sill Review

Posted by JR Simmang on 07.31.2008

Lewi Longmire sure lights a fire under the sill, it's just that the batteries in the smoke detector are wasted, and apparently so am I, because there is something about it that album.

Lewi Longmire: Fire ‘Neath the Sill
Lawnmower Music 2008
Track List:
1. Moon Song
2. Whatchoo Gonna do About…?
3. Sweet Situation
4. Disappear
5. Baby, Would You Take Me Home?
6. This Time
7. San Ysidro
8. Voluntary Martyr
9. Behind the Eight Ball
10. One Thing at a Time
11. New Lone Ranger

Okay Lewi, you did it. After listening to this particular album three or four times in a row, and I’m still not sure if the effects have worn off yet, I like it. There, I said it. Now I feel all dirty inside.

Just to clear some things up, I’m very picky about my country and bluegrass. It has to be good, really good, like Earl Scruggs and Merle Haggard good. I need banjo, mandolin, dirty violins, hell, even a Hammond organ. I want to be able to understand the singer without having to refer back to my redneck dictionary (yes, I do have one, but it’s only three pages long, and two of them are blank). Not only did Lewi provide, he excelled. His liquid smooth vocals sifted through my speakers like honey in tea. Let me give you a point of reference since you aren’t listening to it right now. Think Bare Naked Ladies meets Clint Black. I know, sounds odd, and it is, just trust me on this.

At first glance, this album is utterly disgusting. The first song, “Moon Song”, is filled with trite imagery and overbearing bass. In country, bass, unless it’s upright and plucked by a man with no teeth, needs to be a little watered down. I don’t feel right bumping Lewi out my windows at one in the morning in my neighborhood. Plus, Lewi attempts to squeeze too many rhymes into the set rhythm. It’s distracting. “Whatchoo…”, abysmal. I wasn’t sure if it was a song about trains or to God Bless him for sneezing. However, after the rocky start, “Sweet Situation” kicks the listener in the face with age old proven rock- steady lead guitar. It’s a genuine throwback to pre- Neil Young Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I think I heard The Eagles say they wanted their riffs back.

One song in general seems to sum up the feel of Fire. Track 4, “Disappear,” comes out of left field blindfolded and hog- tied (I openly apologize for the backwoods references). Imagine if you will, sitting down at a Hoot’n Nanny, you’ve got a Lone Star in one hand and lasso in the other. You’re tapping your toes to some twangy steel guitar, and from the sky, the barn roof is ripped off, the Kenny Chesney wannabes on stage fly into the sky, and up from under the stage, Tommy Tucker starts conducting a jazz band playing a piece reminiscent of Chicago. Lewi composed a perfect hail to the old- fashioned 1940’s trumpets and trombones. It’s a magnificent song, one that has the dirty violin and rolling bass. But it got me thinking. The reason I was so on-the-fence from the get- go is because, while Lewi’s voice definitely has that long country drawl, it was never suited for the Wrangler wearing crowd. He needs to be in a recently pressed white linen suit with tails holding a baton. The point is, in each song, he starts off strong, with nice imagery, and then he discards the theme and begins to write a whole new song.

And he has a weird obsession with the desert and sand. I believe he was trying to ask the listener, “hey, what happens to us after we die?” in every song. At “This Time” you start to get the feeling he’s just pining after a lover that either left him for another man or just left all together. There is relief, though. After “San Ysidro”, he gives up and goes straight back into typical country. He lost me in “Babe, Would You Take Me Home,” with the very first line, “Well, I’m bound to get drunk and fall down.” Call me old fashioned, but I’d like to hear some deep, moving, lyrics nowadays. “San Ysidro”, for it’s lack of romance, is the beautiful song on the album, and then he starts singing about his woman taking his dog. That was it for me.

That was also the first time through. Now, I’m going to keep the album instead of wrapping it up and giving it as a goodwill gift to my enemies. He’s my friend now. I feel like we’ve been drunk together and he’s told me his life story. How can I abandon him now? His voice is clear enough to understand every word, which is definitely a plus, he knows how to play the guitar, and I constantly find myself tapping my foot. It’s a fun album, not to be taken too seriously. If you do, you’re wasting your time. I like the mix of Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Cream, CCR, and sometimes Duke Ellington. Buy it, keep it hidden when company’s over, and listen to it only when you’re alone. That’s what I’m doing and life is getting along just fine.

The 411: Lewi Longmire, in his third album, Fire ‘Neath the Sill, captivates the listener with bold vocals and country attire. He tries so hard to fit into the Lyle Lovett mold, but winds up sounding like a mash between Bare Naked Ladies and Clint Black. His bass is sometimes too much to handle, and he often starts writing one song and ends on another. Overall, it’s an enjoyable listen that might not get you off your seat and into a mosh pit, but you most certainly won’t fall asleep.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]