By Michael A. Weiss
If Elvis Costello, Peter Wolf, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen collaborated and pooled their singing, songwriting and producing talents, the result could very well be Butch Walker’s terrific Stay Gold record. Released on August 26, 2016, this is the singer/songwriter/guitarist’s 8th studio album and was produced by Ryan Adams. Whether it’s Walker’s pleasing storytelling style, the conviction with which he attacks his vocals, the memorable refrains and/or the rock, rockabilly, country and pop music flavors throughout Stay Gold, I suspect listeners won’t be able to resist this exhilarating rock & roll journey.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I was unaware of Butch Walker or Stay Gold until a few months ago. While driving in my car and listening to SiriusXM, I heard the record’s single, “East Coast Girl.” The song had a cool, catchy hook, but more than that, Walker made damn sure his vocals clearly communicated his story. That persistent intent to create such precise, melodic imagery captured my interest real fast. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time an unfamiliar voice or sound so engaged my mind and soothed my soul. Before the song was over, I recognized Butch Walker as a new, old friend. Because I was driving, I took a mental screen shot of the SiriusXM tuner so I’d remember my new buddy’s information. But as is the case when music connects with something deep inside, it turned out no reminders were necessary.
I purchased Stay Gold that night. Fascinated with “East Coast Girl” and how Walker smoothly accelerates and expands his hard-charging vocals, I noticed that he never once left the sweet spot of the song’s vocal pocket. But I wondered if “East Coast Girl” was my listening experience-equivalent to being lured to a movie simply based on the appeal of the trailer. After listening to the entire record, the trailer proved true. To commemorate my best musical find of the last 15 years, I changed the main ringtone on my smartphone to “East Coast Girl’s” energetic refrain:
“So Johnnie tell me that you’re alright
I wanna cover you up tonight
Give me one more chance to show you something real
You can run but you can’t hide.”
Butch Walker has been known for many years throughout the music industry as one of the Top 40 pop music record producers. In prepping for this record review, I also read a great deal about Walker’s solo artist career and by all accounts Walker sees both as completely separate. This became readily apparent to me when I first heard the slick refrain from the record-titled opening song, “Stay Gold.”
“You gotta stay gold, now my pony boy
Don’t let them get you down.”
Something about the phraseology sounded familiar. Turns out Walker crafted this as a concept record to celebrate the redemptive perspective that comes with mid-life. His inspiration was The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 iconic movie, which was adapted from the S.E. Hinton novel.
While the song, “Stay Gold” is a straight-forward, fun rocker, it demonstrates Walker’s knack for entertaining through evocative vocal inflection. The song’s uplifting message seems effortless, which is precisely Walker’s goal in pairing cinematic lyrics with mood-setting music and delivering them in a performance that is as passionate as possible. It takes supreme talent and forethought to make something so good look easy. Butch Walker is as talented as he is smart.
“Can We Just Not Talk About Last Night” is the record’s ballad, which highlights Walker’s ability to write lyrics so lucid they could be dialogue for Philip Marlowe in a Raymond Chandler novel. It is also perhaps the most captivating song ever written about the ensuing awkwardness between friends after they become intimate and how it changes the dynamics for one but maybe not for the other. Walker seems to write the music after the lyrics to achieve his intended storytelling themes. The authenticity of his song conveys palpable, emotional imagery. Walker delivers this calling card on the song, “Can We Just Not Talk About Last Night.”
After the 40th time I played “Can We Just Not Talk About Last Night,” and that was after owning Stay Gold only a few days, I still felt that this song was phenomenal. As in many instances on the record, Walker sings what I wish I had said when in similar situations. He does this with such an efficient use of words. But on this song, he also communicates them with a cool conviction that’s only possible when there’s nothing left to lose, yet he takes no measures to hide how much he cares.
“I guess we kinda crossed that blurry line
Yeah the night was warm and the sex was more than fine
All your friends are gonna guess we fooled around some more or less
I guess we kinda finally crossed a blurry line
And you can ask me if its gonna change the way I act around you
I can tell you that it’s gonna be alright
We can talk about the way I’ve always had a thing for you
But can we just not talk about last night
Oh can we just not talk about last night.”
“Mexican Coke” is one of those sing-a-long gems with a white-boy-Motown sound. You find yourself silently singing the words, not entirely sure of their meaning, but not caring. I read the lyrics and much to my surprise, realized that the song is about the first smokin’ chick he ever saw–when he was 10 and she 20. “Everything I wanted, nothing I’d ever had” is how Walker describes his remembrance of this Spanish babe. In keeping with the discipline required of a concept record, Walker creatively closes the song with, “I ain’t a boy no more and I’m ready for Mexican coke.”
Other essential songs on Stay Gold include, the Springsteen-sounding, high-octane ballad, “Irish Exit,” in which Walker articulates his impatience for social bullshit.
“Descending,” (co-written by Ashley Monroe,) is a beautiful, cinematic duet between Walker and Ashley Monroe, an accomplished country music singer/songwriter. It’s about lovers doubtful of each other’s commitment.
“You can’t fake a smile forever
From a mouth that once was mine
Is it over or finally beginning descending?”
Monroe opens the song sharing her perspective and contentment until Walker pleads with her to assess their relationship relative to his future concerns. It seems to address a complex relationship between the two, which can only be understood by listening to the lyrics, and not just once.
Stay Gold is truly a remarkable listening experience. And there’s more where that came from, namely, the seven other Butch Walker records. Enjoy.
Stay Gold can be found:
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/5P5zNgtbPxKkkMVlRNRHDm
Apple Music/iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stay-gold/id1116857873
Amazon Music https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Gold-Butch-Walker/dp/B01G33LJDO/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1494109902&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=Stay+Gold+Butch+Walker
Glad you discovered Butch! His catalog is amazing. Check all the others out. You won’t be disappointed.