At the start of all this mess, in the spring I started to discover this talented guy from Kentucky, and after I met him digitally and listened to him in his live streaming, I decided to listen and review his debut (just him and his guitar). A dry but full of feeling and country-folk John Prine. The record in question is called Rio Verde Wiseman (and you can find here the review link I wrote for Ticino Notizie https://www.ticinonotizie.it/ascoltati-da-noi-per-voi-di-claudio-trezzani-jason-evans-rio-grande-wiseman-2020/ ) And it’s a taste of what Jason Evans gave us after a few months with this album composed of 8 autograph pieces, produced by Joe Barry for Green River Records. A record played really and recorded great, a compact and clean sound that make this record its real debut, a brave step from folk storytellers to true country songwriter, that independent country that I love so much. Evans writes beautiful songs, inspired by his land immersed and dominated by nature, nothing commercial but a lot of blue collar poetry. The title-track is a wonderful ballad that the piano and pedal-steel enrich, a heartfelt dedication to the places where he was born and raised that his voice tells us with intensity and transport. This piece would be enough to deserve the listening of the other 8 pieces, spectacular arrangements for a song that could be fine in an evening in front of the fire but also on the boards of a beautiful Texas stage in front of many true country fans. Much more lively but not less intense, Little Blue Springs is a song with a soul oscillating between country and rock-folk to Springsteen, and the voice of Evans is really credible, hoarse and intense and fits well with these sounds between the melancholy and the on the road. I hope I made the idea, sort of like John Prine running a mustang through the Kentucky countryside. Another beautiful ballad, with a lot of character is Miller and Jim, acoustic guitar and voice marked by the dust of the countryside, here the arrangement is dry, Perhaps the most similar to the sound with which he began and his guitar but not for this less credible is an added value: a sound and a perfect voice both acoustic and folk with the piano and pedal steel to accompany them. The melancholy, the strong feelings hover over all the 8 tracks, that country soul that finds fertile ground in Kentucky if you think that come from here artists such as Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers (to name two). And we can certainly add Jason Evans to the aforementioned list of the best musicians in Kentucky. The album closes by twisting the feeling heard so far with a beautiful song streamed with honky tonk and rock and roll, Hillbillies Rock, that gives us another version of a talented artist but always anchored to his land and his green river. If you love country music but also springsteenian rock-folk music, you will definitely appreciate this guy and these 8 sincere songs played great. Long live independent country!
Good listening,
Trex Willer
(you can find original italian article at this link : https://www.trexroads.com/green-river-sound-jason-evans-2020/ )
