Album Review – Tylor and the Train Robbers – “Hum of the Road”
If you’re looking for an album that avoids all the well-worn grooves and eye-rolling tropes of country music, is instilled with insightful road-worn and real-life wisdom, yet is still enjoyable enough to not feel like you’re in the audience of a sermon, Hum of the Road by Tylor and the Train Robbers is sure to sit right with you.
Tylor and the Train Robbers are made up of favored sons and brothers from Idaho who’ve earned strong appreciation from folks in the upper mountain regions and Pacific Northwest over the last ten years or so. It’s the combination of coming from a perspective sequestered from the style trends of songwriting in Texas and Tennessee, while also taking advantage of nationally-recognized talent to pull it all together that makes Hum of the Road so tasty.
Produced by Cody Braun of Reckless Kelly fame at the Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley, TX—famous for all those Mike and the Moonpies records (now Silverada)—Hum of the Road was engineered by Adam Odor, and mixed by Jonathan Tyler. A bunch of Texans may have put the spit polish on the album, but it’s the Train Robbers who are responsible for the music, and Tylor Ketchum who composed all the songs himself.
Ketchum has a soothsayer kind of way he constructs his songs, giving this music a distinct listening experience. This can also result in some rather obscure song themes that can be hard to follow, especially on first listen. But when Tylor really gets on a run, it can be rather spellbinding and evocative, especially when he utilizes circular lyricism that works back upon itself in interesting ways.
When the character in the song “Skittle Man” realizes just how much of a “mess” he must be making by judging the eyes of the man who just shot him in the chest, it’s a type of 3-dimensional songwriting you’re not used to hearing. Tylor Ketchum is uninterested in turning in cliché drinkin’ songs or tributes to ol’ Hank. He’s here to make you think.
“Workin’ Hands” is like a wake up call to those whose lives are passing them by, as is “Ton of Trails.” Life isn’t going to live itself, and your dreams aren’t going to seek you out. You have to take the initiative. “The Way We Learn” tries to explain that who we are is who we are, and sometimes that’s not our fault. Tylor doesn’t just want to entertain you. He wants to make you think.
Though the patient and attentive listener can find great rewards in the catalog of Tylor and the Train Robbers, they continue to ask a lot from their audience, and don’t offer a lot of easy on-ramps. Hum of the Road doesn’t really address this, but those who’ve fallen in love with this type of enriching listen from Tyler will find just what they’re looking for in this new album.
You’ll hear fellow musicians from across the United States talk favorably about Tylor Ketchum and his brothers Jason and Tommy Bushman who make up the nucleus of the Train Robbers band. Rider Soran plays pedal steel and dobro, and Johnny “Shoes” Pisano is on lead guitar. They’ve opened for just about everybody, while in the post-COVID era, they’ve ventured out more farther afield from Idaho, making the “Hum of the Road” something they’re intimately familiar with, and a band that attentive country music fans across the United States revere.
1 3/4 Guns Up (8/10)
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Purchase from Tylor & The Train Robbers
May 16, 2024 @ 7:27 am
I count myself as a big fan and this is definitely their best record yet. Great band.
May 16, 2024 @ 7:39 am
Sometimes I wonder how I would know of any good music without SCM. Thank you so much for your work!
Ton of Trails just made it on my list of instant classics, what a song. Also made me bawl my eyes out on first listen, which is usually a good sign.
May 16, 2024 @ 7:56 am
I love these reviews and all of the new music I am finding because of this site. But why are all of the reviews 8/10 or 1 3/4 guns up. Anyway I love this site, not a knock just generally interested.
May 16, 2024 @ 8:31 am
The last album review I did was for Scotty McCreery, and he got a 7.8. The review before that was Emily Nenni who got an 8.1. So not everything is 8/10, though for sure a lot of reviews end up there. One of the reasons for this is because once something graduates to an 8, it’s more likely to get reviewed, because that means it’s coming strongly recommended.
If I review an independent artist below an 8, it tends to cause a lot of controversy because people perceive it as a “negative” review, even though a true negative review would be below a 5. People are fine if I review mainstream albums below an 8. But I gave Stephen Wilson Jr. a 6.8, and I’m still hearing from people who will say they will never read this site ever again because I’m such an idiot for “attacking” Stephen Wilson Jr. I even started the review off saying it would be misunderstood, and of course, it was. People can’t handle it.
If an independent artist has an album that I would probably grade below an 8, I’m just not likely to review it. Though there are some exceptions.
May 16, 2024 @ 11:08 am
Say what you want about the Wilson Jr. album. It definitely had some songs with subpar writing, but that’s kinda the trend with these 20-ish track albums that a lot of the big names are putting out there. But, “Cuckoo” is a poignant and entertaining song that I’ll always have in my library. I turn the volume way up on that one. There were a lot of other bright spots in between the list songs, too. I think if you had focused more on the music itself, rather than focusing on your beef with him using indie outlets to promote his music, then people would have been more receptive of your opinion of the music, which is 100% fair and valid. I’d love to get your perspective in a post about how the lines are blurring between “indie” and “mainstream”. IMHO the golden age of indie roots is coming to a close. A lot of the music is still great, but it’s starting to lose that edge that was so appealing.
May 16, 2024 @ 8:00 am
Discovered these guys at BBR back in 2021 and been in love with their music since. This is a great album.
May 16, 2024 @ 8:41 am
Glad to see this review. Caught them in a Missoula dive bar last summer where they put on a great show.
May 16, 2024 @ 9:16 am
Of course, anyone named Ketchum is going to make very listenable country music.
May 17, 2024 @ 6:15 am
Nice find. Kinda give me Lucas Nelson vibes. Gonna have to give the rest of the album a listen. Thanks.
May 17, 2024 @ 7:03 am
Trig
You think of a way to sell albums for these artists, they get theirs you add a buck or two? No idea. I’m not smart. But feel like half my vinyl collection is based off your reviews.
May 17, 2024 @ 7:46 am
My job is to review the albums, not sell them. As soon as I start doing that, I cease to be an impartial 3rd party. I do try to facilitate sales by putting links directly to stuff.
May 21, 2024 @ 6:44 pm
Amazing band!
Love the lyrics and the music.
May 24, 2024 @ 12:33 pm
Trigger,
Seeing you review these local boys was a major highlight on the week for a fellow Idahoan. Tylor and the Train Robbers have been hustling harder than just about anyone here in Idaho, and are well-deserving of the album recognition. Tylor’s song lyrics continues to buzz around my brain, and are in such a league of their own in the modern country genre.
It means a hell of a lot to see some fellow Idaho artists get a little bit of eye- and ear-time—in this case, some of the best the Gem State has to offer. So, thanks for turning over the rock that is Idaho’s American roots music scene and giving the space beneath some much-needed daylight.