THAD COCKRELL

Did y'all ever hear Thad Cockrell's album Warmth And Beauty? It's classic, tiny-m modern country music. You should own it. You should actually pay money for it. I'd like to hear Dwight Yoakam cover most all of it.  Cockrell worked with Caitlin Cary, ex-Whiskeytown, on an album of duets called Begonias that is equally as delicious.

Do yourself a favour and listen to each song. They're sweet sets of near-perfect classic country pop songs, without a an nth of mawkishness. Pure, smart, plus three out of four are heartbreakers.  That's all I need. Sometimes. 

And all of our friends they've all met her. 
They think she will...treat me much better.
And I guess I would say...that's probably true.
Oh, but...the truth of the matter...if the truth really matters...She ain't no you.

If you came to my home, crying and demanding music, I'd start with Thad Cockrell's Are You Still Missing Me? and She Ain't No You and then I'd crush you with My Favorite Memory off of Warmth and Beauty. But then you'd start crying and drinking and smoking and crying. Again. So I'd play them, again.

Cockrell's got a voice made for High Lonesome music, but it's loaded with soulfulness. He's tasteful, his use of strings and pedal steel are judicious, but spot on, and placed to set a mood. Recorded with Chris Stamey of The db's, Warmth and Beauty is a gorgeous album, deserving of the description in the title. Cockrell and Stamey sub-genre-hop thru the history of country music, but it sounds natural, and just like another Cockrell song, each song seemingly more melodic and prettily (but not fussily) decorated than the last than the last. It falls into that sad alt-country bin of classic albums, like Sub Pop's Mike Ireland record, that no one heard, but that should have been ruling country radio.