Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide to Earth
It's not often we review country here at The Conquest of Gaul, but every once in a great while, a piece of art is so beautiful that it's impossible to ignore. Such is Sturgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide to Earth.
To be honest, the last time something even remotely country popped up on this blog would have been Amy Lavere's absolutely brilliant Americana record, Stranger Me, back in 2011, where it also ended up in the Top 10 of the year. Simpson's work here inspires just as much admiration for what can be done in the genre, and saddens me to think of all the wasted opportunities other artists have let slip by, writing the same blase psuedo-country since Dollywood opened.
A Sailor's Guide to Earth isn't just a collection of various amazing songs performed at such a high level it makes your jaw drop. No, it's also that loftiest of nigh-unattainable albums (at least in this genre with a dearth of creativity)--the concept album.
The plot laid out by the title, as well as the opening track, "Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)" is simple: if you have to leave something behind to explain to your progeny how to navigate this mortal plane--physically as well as morally--what will that manual look like? Simpson's version is an aural wonder, confirming that the "outlaw" and "alternative" forms of country need not be so disparate, nor their combination be so dreary (as his previous album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was).
But while Simpson's tone is lifted here, he doesn't dissuade the listener from taking a trip down the long rabbit hole, even if that means hitting bottom. Instead, he encourages the journey--the journey of life--no matter where it might lead. A beautiful assertion indeed.
P.S. There's an absolutely amazing cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" on here. In terms of covers, it's bested only by Eagles of Death Metal's "Save a Prayer" from last year.
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