Greg Trooper’s just-released Upside-Down Town ranks with his best work – and that’s saying something.
His last studio album, the Dan Penn-produced Make It Through This World in 2005 was a compelling melding of folk and R&B, and this album builds on that, with touching songs and a Hammond B3.
Trooper remains a storyteller and Upside-Down Town reminds us what a fine lyricist he is.
“They Call Me Hank” is a good example of that. The song, reminiscent of Rodney Crowell’s recent work, paints a portrait of a homeless man’s life in vivid detail, including the fishing that occasionally pays for a beer at “the last bar in town that lets me in the door” and a hint of the circumstances that brought Hank to this place in his life.
Most striking are two songs that touch on aging. “We’ve Still Got Time” is a song of redemption, reminding a woman that “if life were not a crooked road, you’d never find out who you are.”
A similar, but infinitely more joyous sentiment can be found in “Time for Love,” an upbeat and funny take on love a little later in life: “Time is flying by, before you know it honey, there’ll be coins on our eyes… so get ready Andretti, we’re into overdrive.”
It’s probably not a coincidence that this most optimistic of Trooper songs features his son Jack on drums and wife Claire Mullally on harmony vocals.
There are also a number of songs of regret, from the melancholy “Dreams Like This” to the kicking- youself anthem “Could Have Been You.”
Trooper’s band is terrific, and includes Kevin McKendree on keyboards and guitar, Dave Jacques on bass and Kenneth Blevins on drums (when Jack’s not playing.)
Upside-Down Town is an impeccably written and performed album, with soul in all the right places.
