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Jun 11, 2020 Web Exclusive By Mark Moody

Dan Reeder is a guy that can write a song about literally anything, so that’s what he does. On Every Which Way, his fourth album for John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, Reeder sets about to prove it. Whether it’s pondering the scientific wonder of metamorphosis on “Born a Worm” or passing along one of the best pieces of advice you are likely to ever receive on the appropriately punctuated “Stay Down, Man,” nothing is off limits. To wit, “Porn Song” proves as vulgar as the title suggests, while also seemingly condemning its subject: “If she’s done than so are we”—presuming that listeners are the greater collective “we.”

Sometimes it’s a little hard to pin Reeder down or truly know where he is coming from. The opening two songs are deeply specific, but without knowing his references they are a bit hard to grasp. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for the relatable and the hilariously offbeat tracks to take hold. The gentle finger picking of “Four in the Morning” sets the song apart as one of several that echo the late, great Prine. The song is spare, barely there even, but paints a picture with only a handful of strokes. Others that invoke his mentor include the one song here that tugs at the heartstrings without holding back: “Young at Heart.” Reeder sings in his reedy higher register and layers his vocals to add depth to the realization of life’s irreversible moments. But Prine’s ghost is heard most clearly on “Woman in a Pool,” which shares a melody with Prine’s “It’s a Big Old Goofy World” and contains sharply observed memories—“Smells like chlorine, smells like barbecue.”

There’s no doubt that Reeder’s ace in the hole is his more than slightly-off-center sense of humor. The two best songs here include the aforementioned “Stay Down, Man,” which rolls on a gentle stride piano melody and describes in great detail a parking lot fight in LA. If you aren’t singing along with “I swear to God I’ll leave you here to die, if you say one more word to that guy” by the end of the song your ears may not be correctly wired. The gospel tinged “Nobody Wants to be You” mirrors the plot of Ozark so well it could make for a perfect series finale closer: “You’re gonna have to tell her what happened to the car, and who those guys are in the living room.” Other songs go more straight for the funny bone including the self-deprecating doo-wop of “Pussyboy,” the most educational song that will never be played in school of “Born a Worm,”[1] and the you don’t really want to know what’s for dinner paean “Hillbilly Song.”

In addition to putting together more than a fair share of entertaining and insightful songs, Reeder clearly has a vast catalog of influences to draw from. The rapid-fire “Baby Say Danger” would fit in perfectly with Woody Guthrie’s little known kid’s songs. And “I Drive My Race Car” is the perfect mirror of early Ry Cooder’s take on cornpone mixed in with his approximation of the country blues. There are a few songs like “Jailtime” and “Alcohol” that drag a bit, but with 20 tracks you never have to wait long for a gem to appear. Then later in the album, “I Don’t Always Miss You” pegs Lyle Lovett’s sense of uncovering wry truths that most know better than to utter out loud.

Plain spoken and eminently tuneful, Every Which Way is a great album to put on when the relatives come over, presuming you would prefer they never return. Reeder has the observational skills of his label’s founder (Prine), but more often recalls the directness and shock value of pre-“You’ve Got a Friend In Me” Randy Newman. If you throw in having his own distinctive brand of humor à la Lovett, you’ve got a decent feel for Reeder’s approach if you’ve never heard him. Busking at the intersection of Prine, Newman, and Lovett is a pretty good place to earn a few bucks and garner some new fans. Reeder more than holds his own against those legends and let’s hope it’s not another 10 years ‘till the next one. (www.danreeder.com)

Author rating: 8/10