In this era of relentless classification and genrefication, it's impossible to be a plain-old vocalist. You can be a jazz vocalist, sure, or a pop vocalist, or a country vocalist -- but the thought of a performer who isn't allied with a specific genre is usually more than the compartmentalized mainstream can handle.
Kelly Hogan is a vocalist -- or, if you can appreciate the distinction, a Vocalist. Because most of her in-print material is on Bloodshot Records, she's been pigeonholed as a country vocalist -- but as Because It Feel Good makes clear, even country music's relatively broad focus can't constrain Hogan's talents. Can you think of another country vocalist who, in the space of one thirty-three minute album, takes songs by the Statler Brothers, Smog, Charlie Rich, Randy Newman, The Bogmen and
others, and makes them all unmistakably her own?
Let's make something clear before we go any further. If you're a regular Splendid reader, you know that I've expended a lot of words and energy over the last few years in an effort to convert you to Hogan's cause. For the record, no money has changed hands, and while Hogan is a lovely gal, I'm happily married and intend to stay that way. I have no ulterior motives here. This lady makes damn fine music, and I think you should listen to it, whatever your tastes.
Because It Feel Good has more of a central theme than last year's Beneath the Country Underdog. It's obvious when you look at the song titles; tunes like "Strayed", "Please Don't Leave Me Lonely" and "Living Without You" betray a predilection for the darker side of love, in all its many guises. There are a few boisterous, rocking numbers, but the album's overall mood is surprisingly solemn -- morbid, even, in a David Lynchy sort of way. When Hogan sings the Statler Brothers' "I'll Go to My Grave Loving You", you'll wonder if she's planning on doing it in the next few minutes; the spartan, dirgelike rhythm is a broad archipelago of bass and drums, with only the occasional, light-hearted plunk of Jon Rauhouse's banjo to lighten the mood. Smog's "Strayed" gets a fairly faithful airing, though Hogan's lilting vocals help to dispel the claustrophobic, confessional closeness of Bill Callahan's lyrics. With the exception of Andrew Bird's sighing strings, "Strayed" is played as a straight, midtempo rock song -- hardly a country element within earshot.
"Please Don't Leave Me Lonely", by King Floyd, is a staple of Hogan's live set. Full of emotional peaks and valleys, it's an apt showcase for Hogan's abilities, and indeed recalls her torch-singing Jody Grind days. While her performance here lacks the fire of her live performance, she compensates by adding sweetly harmonic backing vocals, which merge nicely with Jon Rauhouse's subtle vibraphone effects. Andrew Bird's strings help to build tension into the refrain, while Andy Hopkins and Mike Sturgess provide a solid guitar and bass foundation. In its final moments, the song ignites in an all-too-brief orchestral flare-up, then fades quietly like a torch song. It's stunning, if entirely too brief. Likewise the one-two punch of the album's closing minutes; Randy Newman's "Living Without You" gets a subtle reading, sweetly accented by violin and guitar, and Charlie Rich's "Stay" is downright luminous. Surrounding Hogan's rich, throaty vocals with layers of organ, guitar and pedal steel, the song glows as spookily as the Christmas lights on the album's cover.
The Kelly Hogan/Andy Hopkins songwriting partnership continues to bear fruit. In fact, the two original tunes on Because It Feel Good may well be the album's best songs -- or at least the most interesting. "No, Bobby Don't", which examines a truly messed-up, abusive relationship, thrives on its lushly orchestrated fifties pop flair, with Hogan twisting her tongue through the challenge of a double-time chorus. The defiantly cheerful "Sugarbowl" flaunts its upbeat country twang; it's an energetic anthem, and Hogan's playful "fake trumpet" effects at its end only add to its appeal.
On the downside, we are left wondering why Hogan and Hopkins couldn't have penned a few more songs to flesh out the record. Because It Feel Good is nowhere near as "happy" an album as Underdog, and could probably have used one or two additional show-stoppers. There's no doubt that as a vocalist, Hogan's skills are best demonstrated on moodier, more emotionally varied material, and in that respect Because It Feel Good easily outstrips its predecessor. However, unlike Hogan's live performances, which remain cheerful and light-hearted despite the gravity of some of the material, there's no between-song patter here to lighten the load. Listen to Because It Feel Good on a bad day and you may end the evening passed out (or near) on the sofa in front of the TV, surrounded by soggy kleenex and empty bourbon bottles.
That said, unless you're a manic depressive, Because It Feel Good belongs in your music library. Sooner or later, Hogan will finally get the recognition she deserves -- and when she does, do you want to be the person who says "Yeah, I was into her way-back-when", or the sheepish moron who mutters about intending to check her out but never getting around to it?
Yeah, that's what I thought. So what are you waiting for?
