Album Review – John Moreland’s “High On Tulsa Heat”

For those tragic songphiles who were done with popular music by late adolescence, started rummaging through their parents’ record collections and taking suggestions from older siblings and cousins about what was cool, and seem to be engaged in a lifelong pursuit of the essence of the listening experience—this is the manna, this is the potent stuff that still makes you feel like a listening virgin when you’ve built up such an insatiable tolerance and addiction over the years so that only the purest stuff will puncture you with its raw emotion.
Let’s face it, John Moreland is no matinée idol. He’s not going to make it as an American heartthrob selling out arenas. He’s a working man’s anti-star, dripping in real-ness and delivering songs that it’s easy to see are direct testaments of his life’s experiences set to pentameter and music. Mercilessly, Moreland pours his heartbreak and vulnerability out to his audience with no respite, no wiggle room, no upbeat tunes to clean the palette, no silly songs to calm the senses. Moreland sets out to break you down with one expedition into the innermost bouts of sorrow after another, and succeeds.
Moreland’s In The Throes from 2013 could be considered his breakout album, and it went on to crown or be included in many critics’ lists of the best songwriting efforts that year. It garnered the appreciation of songwriters like Jason Isbell who took Moreland out on tour, and grabbed the attention of Thirty Tigers who released this latest effort. Once a punk musician from Tulsa, he’s now regarded as a preeminent songwriter by many of his peers and loyal listening parishioners.
High On Tulsa Heat picks up right where In The Throes leaves off, with sparse and lo-fi arrangements that emphasize the songwriting and the mood Moreland looks to cast them in. Simple percussion and rhythm guitar is all the adornment deemed necessary to some tracks, while others are solely Moreland and his guitar solo, allowing the poetry to become the center of attention. And why not with lines like “Babe I know, this world will have the wolves outside your door, make you leave all you love to fight a war, and never tell you what you’re dying for,” or imagery conjured simply by the title of the song “American Flags in Black and White.”
But the same issue that faced In The Throes is the one that faces High On Tulsa Heat. Yes the songwriting here ranks somewhere between top shelf and unmatched, but the production and recording of the effort teeters somewhere between lazy and uninspired, making for a project that is hard to engage in cover to cover, giving little delineation between songs, and suffering from a blandness that will unfortunately and unnecessarily limit the size of the audience the album will appeal to. Songphiles will rejoice, but so few beyond will give this album anything more than a sniff.
Some fans may say, “Hey, who cares?” This approach keeps the shows intimate and the inspiration flowing to Moreland. But for all the critical praise he’s received, Moreland’s footprint still remains curiously small. When I made similar observations of the production of Moreland’s In The Throes album, it was met with a grumble from some of his fans, and even from Moreland himself. Never mind that I still gave the album a top grade and nominated it for Album of the Year, Moreland’s response was “Thanks, I guess?” Another fan mauled me for making such misguided observations, saying that Moreland pawned everything he owned to make the album, so who was I to criticize it? Didn’t I know he plays most of the instruments himself? Maybe it’s too erudite for my little country music website. What have I ever done creative, and what is “country” music these days, anyway?
Of course my passing notes on the production were only meant constructively, which after all, is the point of artistic criticism.
But with the response I received I wasn’t surprised to find subpar production on this new effort, or that Moreland’s stature still seems to be disproportionately low compared to his songwriting talent. We’re not talking about hiring Billy Sherrill or breaking the bank on some big studio. It just would have been nice just to see some growth here; a little more effort towards fleshing out these songs in a way that would broaden their appeal. Just sweeten up the vocals where they don’t sound like they’re recorded from across the room, and maybe get a better band for a song or two to spice things up.
But maybe staring success in the face is the reason Moreland decided to baulk on bringing an elevated level of quality to this record, even though now he hypothetically has the backing to do it. There’s this romantic notion in some independent music circles about keeping things subdued, of this strange pride in screwing things up a little bit and being irresponsible to oneself, as if there’s some poetry in it.
If I thought folks zeroed in too much on one paragraph in an otherwise positive review of In The Throes, I guess I’m just fanning the flames now. It’s John Moreland’s music and he can do whatever he wants with it. But his songs are too good to half ass it. That’s what we’ve learned from the recent success of Jason Isbell and other songwriters. The stripped down approach to recording some of the songs on this record are probably perfect, but not for ten tracks on now two consecutive albums from an artist who deserves to be heard by a wider ear.
John Moreland is a great songwriter, and High On Tulsa Heat is a great album that will be hard to top in songwriting in 2015. And that’s why it’s worth criticizing, and why Moreland’s music is worth an extra effort to have it be heard.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
April 27, 2015 @ 8:44 am
Well, no surprise on the high rating. This release has the major factor required for a good review here–the artist stops unpacking once the acoustic guitar comes out. ;P
That said, here goes another Dave Cobb critique. This album sounds a lot truer than Southeastern, or Metamodern. . . And that makes it better. It is an honest production, a good production. It doesn’t sound like some contrived barebones BS. This release is simple where it should be, complex where it needs to be, and both sound good to my ears. And well-performed to boot.
Are you saying that 20 out of the last 20 tracks are too stripped down? Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 here sound pretty fleshed out to my ears.
To each his own.
April 27, 2015 @ 8:59 am
It’s not just about being stripped down. It’s about tones, signal quality, separation, mixing and mastering. Once a song is written, the same passion should be brought to finding the right way to express that song through music, and to give each song its own character to highlight what makes it special. Since Moreland doesn’t have a lot of variety in the themes of his songs, this is especially important.
This goes beyond “to each his own.” To the listeners who love Moreland, like you, his music is great and doesn’t need any help. But for all the high praise you see for him, his reach remains limited. It’s not just the approach, it’s the attitude behind it that’s the problem.
April 27, 2015 @ 9:41 am
Huh. I don’t recall Luke Bell raising an eyebrow when you said of his album: “If it was mastered at all”!
Thanks for the review, will definitely check this out.
April 27, 2015 @ 10:40 am
Luke Bell’s album had incredible variety and distinctiveness between the tracks. This isn’t just about mastering, or about the amount of instrumentation on each track. It’s actually a wide swath of issues with the production, which tends to make none of the issues something you can overlook. If the production of an album has one or two holes, sometimes it can even be endearing. In the end though Luke Bell’s album and this one received the same grade, and both were discounted because of production issues.
And I truly don’t want to harp on this point. Overall I think “High On Tulsa Heat” is a great album. But since my remarks on the production were misunderstood last time (and continue to be misunderstood here), I felt dedicating more ink to them was necessary. Overall, the record comes highly recommended.
April 27, 2015 @ 10:39 am
Wow! Just amazing stuff. As I say, this kinda stuff is reason I keep checking in at SCM. Thanks for making us aware.
April 27, 2015 @ 11:08 am
off topic, but Trigger: do you think SCM is growing? do you see this place picking up steam and becoming a relevant force in the community? are more people reading now than two years ago?
April 27, 2015 @ 1:33 pm
It depends on your unit of measurement I guess. There’s definitely growth in regards to traffic, and social network reach, and those things are easy to track because there’s metrics available. If there wasn’t growth, I would not continue to pour the time and resources into the site.
I think some attempt to determine how big or relevant Saving Country Music is based off of Facebook likes and other such things, but social network has always been a secondary strategy for Saving Country Music works. Search engine traffic is the primary driver of the site.
As far as relevancy and influence, that’s very hard to measure. 2011 was the year that one, possibly two mainstream artists wrote and released songs inspired in some way by Saving Country Music coverage (not to boast, just saying), and early 2013 was when the whole “Old Farts & Jackasses” thing exploded with Blake Shelton. 2014 saw the rise of Sturgill Simpson. So I’d like to think there’s been influence and relevancy for quite a while. Is there greater relevancy now than in 2011? There’s definitely more readers by probably 8 to 10 fold, but that doesn’t always translate into relevancy.
Upon occasion I’ll see someone criticize me as “no longer relevant,” but it’s usually coming from a scenster who’s angry that I didn’t do what you’re supposed to do in a scene, which is lie for each other in this misguided notion you’re propping each other up. So in that instance, I am probably less relevant now in certain scenes than I may have been a few years ago after I decided to get out of the scene mindset and search for the best music no matter where the origin.
I don’t try to be relevant as much as I try to be topical. And if I’m “relevant” or not, I guess I’ll leave that to others to interpret. You get too wrapped up in it and it comes across as bragging. I hope I’m making a difference for the good in country music.
April 27, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
So how much of a publication would you consider your work in the country music scene? small? larger? Smaller in the mainstream but larger in the independent? What are your thoughts on your work here? I’m curious what you think the fruits of your labor has been
April 27, 2015 @ 3:02 pm
Fuzzy,
This really is probably a more in-depth discussion for somewhere else, and I don’t want to come across like I’m either bragging or sandbagging. It’s really not up to me to make these types of assessments. I do the best I can under the limitations of being a one man operation, and hope that it has some impact. If I didn’t think it was at least somewhat fruitful, I wouldn’t be doing it. I hope I’m not coming across a dodgy, it’s just a difficult question to answer in a few sentences.
April 27, 2015 @ 11:17 am
I agree with you, Trigger, that this album is going to be hard to top this year. You’re spot-on that he’s one of the best songwriters we have, and his voice amplifies the emotion of his songs.
Additionally, I think the arrangements, mixing and mastering are all tasteful and atmospheric. The shimmery splashes of electric guitar on “Heart’s Too Heavy” and “Losing Sleep Tonight” sound to my ears like classic Telecaster with plenty of reverb. Is it the most innovative production? Not at all. But I don’t think the production is a liability in any way either.
Really enjoying this album, and I appreciate that Saving Country Music is shining a spotlight on it and sparking some honest conversation about good music.
April 27, 2015 @ 11:22 am
My perception when listening to John Moreland (live or recorded) is that the songs he sings were written for himself. He has granted us access to eavesdrop on his innermost thoughts and feelings. It really feels like a dark privilege to hear his music and relate it to my own experience and feel those same feelings. It’s weird and intimate and yet allows you to detach when it hits too hard. “High on Tulsa Heat” IS John Moreland. Slick production would just rape the listener of this very real, very intimate experience. At least that’s my perception.
April 27, 2015 @ 1:53 pm
I agree that slick production would suffocate these songs, and that’s certainly not what I’m calling for. But I do think if there was an effort to pull these songs apart better, it would make the stripped-down tunes feel even more intimate, and emphasize their emotion. Like when tasting food, the best way to experience the full range of flavors is to first clean your palette. That’s what an album should do in the way it’s arranged or produced.
One of the reasons I started Saving Country Music was because I wanted to share the music that really touched me with others. I agree that listening to John Moreland is like peering into his soul. My concerns about the production is simply an extension of my desire to be able to share that experience with more people, while at the same time bringing enough attention to this artist to where he can continue to make music in a sustainable manner.
April 27, 2015 @ 11:34 am
I won’t comment on the production point since I am woefully uninformed on that end of the music biz. What I will comment on is that John Moreland is one of the finest songwriters in any genre of music right now. Love the guy’s work, what he may lack in terms of pure vocal ability, the guys songwriting talent more than makes up for it. Love the album and would love to see Moreland get more mainstream attention.
Between “Hold My Beer”, “High on Tulsa Heat”, “Ringing Road” and the upcoming albums from Chris Stapleton and Whitey Morgan I feel like right now is awesome time to be an Country music/Americana fan!
April 27, 2015 @ 12:01 pm
Not sure where you’re hearing lackluster production. This album sounds crisp & clear and as intimate as the songs require. Not only that, it’s clear Moreland went into this project with more in mind than a stripped down affair (see the recurring melodic themes that bookend the album) and his band seems to be comfortable and capable. As much as I love “Southeastern” (it was my #1 album of 2013) – I far prefer the sound of “High on Tulsa Heat” as SE seemed too muted to consistently drive home the impact of Isbell’s lyrics.
April 27, 2015 @ 3:08 pm
I wasn’t making as much of a side by side judgement on my personal appeal of the production with “Southeastern” as much as trying to compare how Jason Isbell was able to capture a much wider audience by paying attention to the production a little more. I agree this album is very intimate, and I give it praise for that. Not much about the production is crisp and clear in my opinion. In fact I would say it is the opposite. On songs or projects a dirty sound can work. It’s the consistency that I fear puts his music at a disadvantage with some listeners.
Again, the only reason I am making such an issue about this is because I think my words were misunderstood the first time around. Overall, I don’t think the production is terrible, it’s just that it could be so much better.
April 28, 2015 @ 6:51 am
I guess what I mean by crisp & clear is that I feel like I’m right there in the room with Moreland. It sounds alive to me. When I think muddy & lo-fi, the stuff that comes to mind is 90s New Zealand bands or things like Lee Bains & The Glory Fires. Maybe we’re just coming at it from different angles and its all subjective anyway, but Moreland isn’t letting production get between him and the listener and to me, that’s a good thing.
If we’re talking arrangements, the band songs sound great and break up the solo stuff really well. The keyboards & recurring melodic themes show Moreland really took his time fleshing this one out more than “In the Throes” and I guess that’s why I was puzzled by your comments.
April 27, 2015 @ 12:32 pm
The album’s lack of production forces the listener to pay absolute attention or the music fades to the background, really limiting it’s exposure – radio formats, jukeboxes. I’m not saying that’s a good or bad thing. I think the people who take offense to that statement are fans who have seen Moreland in concert many times where the music comes alive. That’s happened to me with many artists – A.A. Bondy comes to mind.
April 27, 2015 @ 1:14 pm
John Moreland is one of those artists that, although I fully appreciate his songwriting genius, I’ve just never been able to get into sonically. Maybe it’s his voice (nothing wrong with it) or maybe it’s the production, I don’t know. Like the other commenter above, I don’t know enough about production to critique that with any specificity or authority.
April 27, 2015 @ 1:20 pm
“High on Tulsa Heat” was reviewed by the New York Times. He just played Stagecoach in California and is on a nationwide tour playing larger and more respected venues than he did in the past. I’d say his footprint and stature are growing. The new album just came out last week. Give it a bit of time. The production on “High on Tulsa Heat” creates intimacy and immediacy between the artist and the listener. The entire album, production included, is pretty much perfect and I have no doubt it will be the best album of the year.
April 27, 2015 @ 3:14 pm
The fact that he’s getting reviewed by the New York Times and playing Stagecoach is the exact reason I find it curious why his footprint appears to be smaller than it should be, given his opportunities and critical praise.
April 28, 2015 @ 9:52 am
The majority of the underground music world had never heard of Moreland prior to 2013. It takes time to build a following and expand the footprint, especially for someone who essentially has done everything by themselves until this record.
People have thrown out the Isbell level of success comparison in this discussion but Isbell had a big following from the Drive-By Truckers before he even put out his first solo record. And it was not until Isbells 3rd album that he started to break out of the underground.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:11 am
This is a wonderful album by a gifted artist.
1 3/4 of two guns up is nitpicking.
April 27, 2015 @ 1:41 pm
Trigger, I agree with you regarding the production of ‘High on Tulsa Heat.’ While the low-fi aspect of ‘In the Throes’ lent the album a certain charm, it for some reason gets in the way this time around (at least to my ears). As you stated, the songwriting is stellar; I was just hoping for a better listening experience. And not just for me, but because I truly want the artists I like to reach a bigger audience.
Therein lies the problem with much modern music. With major labels, or even better indies, no longer signing top-shelf singer-songwriters, artists must scrimp and save in order to release their music. If they hire a producer, it could take quite some time for an album to be released. Yet if no producer is hired, the album doesn’t sound as good. In Moreland’s case, he had a decision to make: Do I to try build on the momentum of ‘In the Throes’ by releasing a record now? Or do I wait a while longer — maybe even years — to achieve a better sound? While there’s no easy answer, I can understand why Moreland made the choice that he did. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and his creative juices were flowing.
By the way, ‘In the Throes’ was my favorite album of 2013, topping even Isbell’s ‘Southeastern’ (the two were actually released on the same day). This new one isn’t even in my Top Ten of 2015 so far, and we are only four months in. I like Moreland’s music, but there’s a lot of other stuff to listen to as well. Right now, ‘High on Tulsa Heat’ is taking a back seat to some other current releases. And while I’d still recommend it to friends, I won’t be doing so as vigorously as I did with ‘In the Throes.’
April 27, 2015 @ 2:11 pm
There’s no shortage of over produced crap, for anyone requiring that. Just listen to almost any other album released at any given time. SOME music needs to remain clean. I’m sure there’s no one involved in this album that wasn’t fully aware that more dollars could have been generated for the machine had they given it the FGL treatment. There’s nothing missing from this production that I can hear – it just doesn’t blend in with all the hiss and buzzing of everything surrounding it “on the shelf”. That’s fine. Why should the ear-buddies get ALL the songs? Money owes music a huge fucking apology for making that the standard in the first place. Unless you’re making pop, the quantity of ears that will hear something shouldn’t dictate everything. I’m always pleased to find a few people left who realize that there needs to be a few songs out there that sound like songs, rather than a Nashville jam session. For those who aren’t fans of that – there’s everything else to listen to. Just one asshole’s opinion, of course…
…I personally would have pushed that vocal fader up a couple db, other than that…it’s great!
April 27, 2015 @ 3:12 pm
If Joey Moi came anywhere close to this album I would have taken up arms to prevent that. But I wouldn’t characterize the recording as “clean.” I agree, a few db’s on the vocal mic, or maybe just a better one, or sitting closer to it would have made a big difference, and maybe the only difference that was needed in the production. I actually like the feel of a faraway mic in spells, but not for an entire album because the lustre of the effect wears off.
April 27, 2015 @ 3:36 pm
Ha! Is Joey Moi really responsible for that FGL crap? Explains a lot… 😀
April 27, 2015 @ 6:57 pm
Yep.
April 27, 2015 @ 4:35 pm
Hopefully, Moreland gets the recognition Isbell got for Southeastern. I wish we had more artist like them to help get songs with substance back in mainstream music.
April 27, 2015 @ 6:40 pm
This seems like as good a place as any to point out that Jason Isbell’s four consecutive shows at The Ryman in October are all sold out.
April 28, 2015 @ 8:13 am
I find the production style appealing but I take Trigger’s point about the limitations. This will get played on college radio and some public radio but not on big-time commercial radio. It could get synched on something like “Better Call Saul” but not on “Nashville.” Maybe Moreland is deliberately opting to pitch the album to a smaller but more passionate audience rather than reaching for a larger and more diffuse public. That may be an understandable choice. Striking the balance that Isbell and Cobb struck in Southeastern is more difficult than it seems, or everyone would do it.
April 28, 2015 @ 11:35 am
Moreland had a couple songs from In the Throes played on Sons of Anarchy…pretty big exposure I’d think. Agree that Moreland knows who his audience is and doesn’t really care about appealing to the mainstream.
April 28, 2015 @ 10:32 am
Hit the nail right on the head, the songwriting is incredible and I can understand not wanting to draw attention away from that, but a little bit of production and this album would be all time.
Hey Trig, any love for New England’s best band, The Mallett Brothers?
April 29, 2015 @ 5:09 am
So far so good, this seems like an album I could get into. BTW, am I wrong for not liking Jason Isbell and his last album? Just didn’t do it for me at all.
April 29, 2015 @ 7:46 am
Wrong for not liking Southeastern – to each their own. Wrong for not liking Jason Isbell – absolutely!
April 29, 2015 @ 8:30 am
I thought I posted a comment here the other day. maybe it was deleted, maybe not.
There was a long, interesting discussion on Moreland’s personal facebook page about this review. I’m not sure if it’s related in any way, but John’s deleted his page after that discussion for some reason.
I’d like to add that it’d be nice if y’all had a shred of perspective on what you say, but that may be asking too much.
April 29, 2015 @ 10:34 am
Hey Jim Z,
First let me assure you nobody’s comment was intentionally deleted. On very rare occasions, comments will get stuck in the spam filter or something, but I’m not seeing a comment from you that is either in the deleted folder, or the spam folder. I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m not suppressing decent in this comments section since the majority of people apparently disagree with my assessment.
“I”™d like to add that it”™d be nice if y”™all had a shred of perspective on what you say, but that may be asking too much.”
I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it was my intention with this review to add some perspective on Moreland’s music. If anyone needs perspective, it would be the folks who zeroed in on my concerns about the production that were offered with the intent of being constructive, yet were perceived as insult, despite a long-winded effort to attempt to explain the intentions of the observations, since they were seized upon in my first Moreland review and misunderstood then as well. Also those concerns should be balanced against everything I said about the album, and the grade I gave it. But again, this was ignored the first time around, so I guess it shouldn’t be expected to be paid attention to the second time.
It is my opinion that it is a sign of respect to individuals and their art to be as honest about it as possible, despite how unpopular those opinions might be, or how unpopular it might make me for sharing those opinions. I care about John Moreland’s music. I want to see him succeed as an artist. That is why I share my opinions on how to move his music forward. We don’t have to all agree with them, but if my opinions were taken as an attack, then that’s the misunderstanding of whoever perceives them that way.
April 29, 2015 @ 8:59 am
IF JM is indeed upset about something that Trigger wrote on in his review, I offer my living room as a potential location for mediation. I’ll provide food and drinks.
April 29, 2015 @ 3:50 pm
how’s this for perspective: you gave the Rogers/Bowen record a higher rating than Moreland’s on a quibble over production. you’re entitled to think those two made a better record, but in reality Moreland is closer to Prine, Shaver or Kristofferson than those jokers will ever be.
April 29, 2015 @ 10:09 pm
See Jim, this is the EXACT problem with perspective that we’re having. I don’t review artists. I review songs and albums. It is my job to not only know music, but how it is perceived by the listening public, and specific segments of the listening public.
I know how many traditional country fans, as well as Americana and singer/songwriter fans feel about acts like Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen. That is why in my review of their latest album, I cautioned folks about bringing their preconceptions to that project, just like how I cautioned in this John Moreland review about the production.
You and everyone else should listen to me and listen good: “Hold My Beer” by Randy and Wade is nothing like they’ve ever done, and is one of the best traditional country albums I’ve heard in a while. But you know what, I know there are thousands of listeners would would love the hell out of that album, but they will never listen to it because they think those guys are “jokers.”
Getting back to John Moreland, the reason I gave him a less than perfect grade is because I believe he didn’t challenge himself as an artist. He turned in a less than perfect effort. Meanwhile Randy and Wade went over their heads and maybe released the best album either of them ever have.
But music is not a competition. This is not John Moreland vs. Randy & Wade. I want John Moreland to succeed. I want him to grow not just an artist, but as a man trying to make a living playing music. I don’t think John Moreland had ever heard anyone be critical of his music until I was. But that’s my job. My job is to be the big asshole who says what I think, while everyone else is patting each other on the back about how awesome they are. I knew exactly how you and others would perceive my John Moreland review, how you would completely gloss over all the positive and harp on the negative. If you want to see a negative review, go read my latest coverage on Zac Brown Band. Then maybe you’ll understand the type of elite class of musicians I consider John Moreland to be in. But even in that class, there’s always room for improvement.
April 30, 2015 @ 6:48 am
Trigger, you know I love what you’re doing and have a high respect for your journalist integrity. I understand your critique of the production on this record, but this is an instance where I actually like the rough, unpolished feel. It feels like I’m sitting with John Moreland as he’s writing these songs in his living room, or something. I bought this record the day you posted this review, and have been spinning it nonstop since then. It’s definitely one that you need to block out some time and sit down and listen to it. When I did, I almost felt like I was intruding on some intensely private moments with the writer, and seeing something I wasn’t sure I should be allowed to see. This. This is why I love music so damned much, and a big reason I keep SCM as the only site I visit on a daily basis, and sometimes multiple times a day. As always, keep up the great work, and thank you for what you do. It really does matter and make a difference.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
I really love this album and the sparse feel of the recording. I also love Chris Knight’s Trailer Tapes more than his full releases (although those are great too), all of Isbell’s work more than Southeastern and Cory Branan’s early albums more than the newest one. I tend to focus on lyrics and like when an artist gives them room. That tends to get lost when the music is glossed up. But, that’s just me. I recognize that so many of my favourite artists tend to not sell that well, so obviously I’m a poor judge of what should be popular. Even live, I always prefer to see a songwriter sing their song in a quiet room with just their acoustic to a full band.
This is fantastic headphones record. It sounds lousy in my vehicle. The physical version sounds way better than the digital copy. It’s the complete opposite of Ryan Adams self titled album.
July 20, 2015 @ 7:31 pm
“In the Throes” was my introduction to John Moreland and I was understandably impressed. But I was constantly amazed and how loud and inappropriate that fucking snare drum sound was on several cuts. How could any producer, engineer or artist listen to that and sign off on it? I found it so blatantly ridiculous I couldn’t imagine repeating the mistake. Until I listened to “High on Tulsa Heat.” Same reverb drenched booming snare. And I am not an “audiophile” or sound fanatic – I just find it really distracting. And while there are some fine songs on “Heat” the material is a bit too similar to “Throes” and the “catch” in his voice sounds a little too calculated. I think Moreland would benefit greatly from a solid producer.
May 8, 2016 @ 3:00 pm
I think the production on High On Tulsa Heat is great. JM knows what he’s doing. He aint no dummy.
June 25, 2019 @ 11:32 pm
He’s wearing a Female hat and not over produce…..bravo. he’s truly in the spirit of Blaze Foley, Townes, and Guy Clark. Bravo!