One of the beautiful things about music in general is its connection to existence and humanity. Darren Nicholson is an artist who prides himself on capturing raw and relatable narratives through his own original songs. His latest release, Lonesome Trails and Tall Tales on Mountain Home Music, is a stellar collection of material capturing themes of love, loss, hardship, and redemption among others.
A good majority of the selections were co-written by Darren, along with his longtime friend and collaborator, Charles Humphrey III. The opening track, Get Me Down The Line, is a song about chasing a never ending fulfillment in life. Along with Nicholson playing mandolin on this track, he is supported by Kristin Scott Benson on banjo, David Johnson on guitar and resophonic guitar, Mark Fain on bass, and Tony Creasman on drums, as well as Kevin Sluder and Avery Welter on harmony vocals.
Any Highway, one of the first songs that Darren and Charles wrote together, tells a captivating story about a man moving forward and taking a new direction in life after facing incredible heartbreak. Deanie Richardson is heard here providing fiddle alongside Colby Laney on guitar, Zach Smith on bass, and Darren’s wife, Jennifer Nicholson, on harmony vocals.
Eager Overachiever on the other hand, brings things to a lighthearted and humorous feeling. Written by Darren and Andrew Blythe, this song talks of how one can develop unhealthy habits if not careful.
Ain’t No Sin tells a classic tale of mountain people justifying making and selling their illegal product of corn liquor in order to survive. With a vocal stack featuring Darren on lead, his wife Jennifer on high baritone, and Kevin Sluder on low tenor, this track is reminiscent of the great Jimmy Martin recordings from the 1960s and early 1970s. Big Sky also tells a great story as it chronicles the travels of the early American explorer, John Colter.
Windows Have Pains by Wes Buchanan was a song first recorded by country legend Marty Robbins in 1968. With additional lyrics from Mark Bumgarner and Nicholson, this ballad carries even more emotional depth than Robbins’ original recording.
Both I’ve Got No Tears Left to Cry and All Trains Come To Pass have a strong traditional bluegrass feel. The former talks of moving on from a bad relationship while the latter written by Nicholson, Humphrey III, and Thomm Jutz, is a hard-driving number that uses trains as a metaphor for the seasons that life gives all of us.
Darren Nicholson could not have picked a more appropriate title for this recording. Lonesome Trails and Tall Tales embodies every emotion surrounding daily living and humanity. Each of these ten selections display the sincere nature of Darren’s artistry.
