By Al Kaufman
If Randy Newman had grown up in a double-wide in Alabama, he'd almost be the songwriter that Hayes Carll is. Last year's Trouble in Mind, Carll's third album and first for a major label (Lost Highway), exposed the world to his deviant genius. The CD's centerpiece is "She Left Me For Jesus," in which the singer thinks his girlfriend left him for another man instead of a certain savior. With lines like "She says I should find him, and I'll find peace at last/If I ever find Jesus, I'm kicking his ass," he hit the musical trifecta. The song was easily the most intelligent, hilarious, and offensive song of 2008.
This Texas troubadour, who is often compared to Todd Snider and the late Townes Van Zandt, has many a song about about wild exploits concerning whiskey and women. But he's also capable of penning "Willing to Love Again," in which he exposes his tortured soul. "I feel too much, I protect too much," he explains, in a way that displays vulnerability without sentimentality.
As gifted a storyteller on stage as he is in song, Carll's is one of those shows that people who appreciate the craft of songwriting, as well as the folks that want to kick back and laugh with a few beers, will not want to miss.
Hayes Carll plays Eddie's Attic with Scott Nolan on Sunday, June 21. 8 p.m.
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