The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
James McMurtry’s postcards of America
“I get a lot of details through the windshield,” says Austin-based singer-songwriter James McMurtry, discussing “Carlisle’s Haul,” “Long Island Sound” and other vividly drawn regional vignettes that appear on his latest album, “Complicated Game.”
Like his classic “Choctaw Bingo,” a nine-minute Oklahoma highway odyssey that’s become a McMurtry concert staple, “Complicated Game” is the product of extensive road work, keen observation and a sharp wit. Raised in Leesburg, Virginia, McMurtry is well known for his politically charged songs, including the Rust Belt anthem “We Can’t Make It Here” and the George W. Bush administration-era broadside “Cheney’s Toy.” While recently touring Europe, he discovered that some fans, eager to hear a Trump-era inspired rewrite of “Cheney’s Toy,” were shouting out requests for “Bannon’s Toy.”
McMurtry has remained a remarkably prolific and widely lauded songwriter since the release of his 1989 breakthrough album, “Too Long in the Wasteland.” His approach to composing has changed somewhat, though. For one thing, he no longer tries to force a lyric to make sense. He cites John Prine as a prime influence: “He has this wonderful song, ‘Jesus the Missing Years,’ where the chorus doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the verses, but it works.”
McMurtry is performing solo this time around. “The acoustic shows are pretty high-volume,” he notes. “I do at least half of it on a 12-string guitar, which is real full with a lot of low end to get a good groove going.”