Americana stalwart Bill Mallonee’s latest album, “Glimmer Vol. 1” opens with the kind of incisive “word on the street” reporting he’s well known for delivering:
We built a world to fall a part Right before our eyes With faith in Progress or Whatever Is anyone surprised? The malaise runs deep Deeper than eyes could see And there are not enough bandages in the infirmary
“Not Enough Bandages (In The Infirmary)” – Bill Mallonee
The initial prognosis, as it turns out, isn’t good. But as the title suggests “Glimmer” is not a hopeless album. I’m not sure Mallonee has ever made a hopeless record, but he has certainly not shied away from facing the abyss. Whether the pain of lost relationships, the desperation of the oppressed and indigent, the struggle to hang on to faith, or the existential violence of mortality and suffering, Mallonee has consistently been the storyteller, the one crying in the wilderness (or desert), and the old friend at the barstool next to you, offering an ear and a world weary but honest perspective.
On “Glimmer” the advice of that old friend is delivered with a knowing smile as he turns over the engine in that truck that’s “seen the whole USA more than a time or two million” (“Prayin’ Man”) and offers up advice from a life that hasn’t been easy, but is one to be grateful for. The musical tenor, lyrical themes, and vocal delivery of “Glimmer” is overall joyful, deeply joyful, not just a cheap “happy.” There is a palpable smile in Mallonee’s singing, a playfulness in the guitar and harmonica work, and even some swagger in the rhythm section. This “feel” certainty was there on Mallonee’s last effort, the excellent “Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song” (2022), but “Glimmer” finds Mallonee distilling, honing, and dialing into this particular “era” of the evolving high desert solo years.
Another strength of Mallonee’s writing that shines on “Glimmer” is the delivery of encouragement to persevere that never comes across as empty pop-psychology or preachy. On “Pillar to Post” “This Side Of The Veil (The Undertaker Overtook)” and “You’re Gonna Be Alright (It’s Been A Year Like No Other)” one gets the sense that the acknowledgements of how hard things have been, sometimes desperately hard, but that you will get through are as much conversations the narrator is having/has had with himself as they are directed at the listener. However, like any word that comes first from experience, the result is a sincere bid to gratitude and perseverance.
One more thing about “Glimmer.” It’s got some really sweet love songs. The most infectious one that could be a single, if that sort of thing were important, is “True Blue.” It’s a grown up love song, like Lucinda Williams writes, and truly a crowning moment to a remarkable album.
Saved Together 