Jeepers Kiefer’s
Once he hung up that phone after terrorising Colin Farrell half to death, Kiefer Sutherland picked up a guitar and began treading a decidedly more friendly and more hospitable path. He has already had all the “can an actor become a singer?” so I think I’ll skip that and concentrate on his new album “Reckless & Me”.
Not having heard his work before, this is exactly what I expected to hear, that deep, gravelly voice and the bar room boogie vibe, in fact quite similar to Mike Tramp’s latest LP.
Quite typical of the genre, Country and Western rock these songs tell tales of life out in the sticks, usually, and how life can be fraught at times and it’s great to have a chance to unwind and get things into perspective.
“Open Road” starts us off on this at times quite personal journey, everyone has a story to tell, first Kiefer did his storytelling on the big screen, now it is done through music and performance without the mask of a character, or a pre-written dialogue normally penned by someone else.
“I ran into some old friends, shared some drinks” sums up the scenario quite accurately as we sit to discuss how lovely it would be to “Something You Love” as the piano jangles and spangles with an effervescence of a newly popped bottle of fizz.
With “Faded Pair Of Blue Jeans”, there is something very evocative about this unassuming item of clothing. It’s as if every pair has a tale of its own to tell, whether good, bad or indifferent.
“Reckless & Me” runs parallel to “restless & free” as we honky- tonk our way around this album and “Blame It On Your Heart”, now there’s an organ that prevails through all the garbage that is thrown in its path.
An invitation? “It’s time to drink some whiskey, this is how it’s done” I’m not really sure if Kiefer has thrown down the gauntlet here, who’s brave enough to pick it up?
A little sweetener now with “Agave” and maybe a love unrequited in “Run To Him” but it’s the two final tracks that bring this whole album together.
The relationship between a mother and son and a father and daughter are in the spotlight here. All relations can be difficult, and angst ridden but here we see them talked about in a loving, caring, and reflective way.
They are insightful, thoughtful and quite chilling too with
“to put my momma in the ground” Kiefer sings of his mother’s death and how he had to return to her hometown.
It is a journey many of us take, but I feel you need to summon a special kind of courage to stand in front of an audience and sing about what your heart contains.
The open road beckons my friends, let’s ride!
Kiefer Sutherland – Reckless & Me out now via BMG Records