By Ken Paulson — David Olney , one of the most ambitious and literate artists in Americana music, has just released Robbery and Murder, the third in a series of theme-driven EPs.
It’s an 8-song collection that explores two “love stories” that aren’t always so loving. The title of the album is one hint.
Olney draws upon Chuck Willis’ “Betty and Dupree” to tell an expanded story of the couple and the diamond ring at the heart of their relationship. The ring even gets its own song.
A second tale describes the faith of unfaithful Delia, whose husband admits, “I did not really care, but the family shame was more than I could bear.”
Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman are often cited in articles about Olney, and that’s not off-base, but he remains a distinctive performer on his own terms, and a songwriter who relishes tackling a subject from multiple perspectives.
The new album is out now, but also available in Body of Evidence, an anthology collecting the earlier EPs Film Noir and The Stone, a different take on the Easter story. David Olney’s ambition abounds.
