Review Summary: Changing the outlaw country's classic topics and atmosphere, David Allan Coe's first mainstream album is a charming ballad of melancholy and redemption.
The outlaw country movement is unfairly overlooked in the actual musical décor. It lost a part of its echoic voice in this century, as it was too provocative to be played widely on radio stations and a little too rude to benefit from a decisive lyrical quality. Of course, there are artists like Sturgill Simpson or Eric Church, but they interpret a somewhat cerebral and calculated kind of music, lacking the authenticity that crowned the albums of Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and David Allan Coe, the latter being one of the style’s most controversial presences.
David Allan Coe's discography is regarded as one of the greatest bodies of work in country music, thanks to a distinct style that masterfully combined the classic outlaw image, the redneck portrait, with a charmingly refined sound. Both sensible and harsh, David Allan Coe's classic period remains one of the most eloquent proofs of the country's musical sensibility, alternating strong harmonies with sweet love songs to form a new musical breath.
Critics consider "Once Upon a Rhyme" his definitive masterwork, highlighting it as one of those marvelous country records that survived the stylistic changes. Of course, it deserves to be a classic. It includes the country standard "Would You Lay With Me," along with emotional gems like "Jody Like A Melody" and "Loneliness in Ruby’s Eyes", being an absolute treat. Truly a perfect album, "Once Upon A Rhyme" shows a more commercial orientation, being an accessible record that builds its structure on high-spirited songs performed in the 70s country style. Although it's one of David Allan Coe’s most accomplished works, it misses the sentimental punch that reigned over his previous creation, the more obscure "The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy." If "Once Upon A Rhyme" is a celebration of the outlaw country's principal motifs, "The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" proves to be a darker record, sounding like a pessimistic reinterpretation of Merle Haggard’s stylistic mark.
Very mysterious for a country album, "The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" begins with the original moment, "A Sad Country Song." From the introduction, it’s clear that the music will follow a low-spirited path, which sounds close to the alternative country’s spirit. The song seems to be a sad rendition of a country standard, a drunken remembrance of the "good old days when times were bad". Its arrangement includes violins, an out-of-tune piano, and flowing steel guitars, making it a perfect vehicle for David Allan Coe’s expressive voice.
"Crazy Mary" projects the entire atmosphere into a retrospective realm, this time fully embodying the "alternative-country" etiquette. Different from Townes Van Zandt’s depressive style, "Crazy Mary" evokes a childhood memory, giving it touching melancholic nuances. With the portrayal of Crazy Mary (a traditional image of a lonely old woman, supposed to be a witch by the children), David Allan Coe returns to a romantically contoured childhood, the song becoming a meditation on the topics of death and lost love, lacking any touch of brutality or fake bravery.
"River" will continue the retrospective character, this time creating a connection between the "river" leitmotif and the expression of freedom. The song, a subtle jailhouse ballad, knows a masterful execution, with vocal harmonies adding depth to the overall composition. Completing the balance between pessimism and novelty, the highly original cover of Mickey Newbury’s classic "The 33rd of August" proves the interpreter’s ability to shed new light on an almost inadaptable song. If Mickey Newbury’s version was oriented towards an atmospheric sound, David Allan Coe accentuates in his style the ambiguity suggested by the lyrics. He gives the song a mature voice, liberating it from its initial meaning.
"Bossier City" constructs a catchy melodic line in Waylon Jennings' style, "Atlanta Song" being the album’s only song linked with the honky-tonk. After these two moments of respite, it begins "Old Man Tell Me", an impressive articulation of the inevitable nostalgia. Like a bittersweet memory, the song combines the pessimistic vision of "Crazy Mary" with the musicality and free-form discourse of "33rd of August." Like a bleak follow-up to the topic proposed by "Old Man Tell Me, "Desperados Waiting For A Train" confers new emotion to Guy Clark's original composition. The brute feeling, the mournful meaning, and the idea of repentance transform an homage to a dying cowboy into a meditation on the afterlife and the human condition.
"I Still Sing Old Songs" returns to the barroom character of "A Sad Country Song", "The Old Grey Goose Is Dead" finishing the album in the tone of an upbeat funeral, a mysterious finale to an album of bewitching beauty.
From start to finish, David Allan Coe’s record shows an almost conceptual thread made up by the succession of melancholic tones and metaphysical meditations, two elements that until then weren’t a part of the country’s ethos. With all the controversy surrounding his bigoted personality, David Allan Coe certainly delivered a distinct kind of country, definitely contributing to the development of the alternative style. A beer-drinker's version of "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt", "The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" needs numerous listening sessions to fully reveal its charm, ultimately proving that David Allan Coe wanted to show the world an uncanonical take on the classic country — as he has always done, from his debut, represented by the nonconformist voodoo-blues album "Penitentiary Album", to his final work, an amazing collaboration with Pantera.
