On his first solo outing after a decade and a half of pumping out resonant honky-tonk party music with BR549, Chuck Mead remains happily awash in life-affirming twang and strum. Journeyman’s Wager is full of sing-along melodies, down-to-earth lyrics and rapid-fire instrumental breaks, courtesy of Nashville ringers such as guitarist Kenny Vaughn and keyboardist Jen Gunderman.
The template is forged from the get-go, with “Out On The Natchez Trail”, a scale-climbing boot-scooter that glides on Vaughn’s electric chunk-a-chunka and the subtle ringing tones of Gunderman’sHammond B-3. The cut that should find its way to radio fastest is “She Got The Ring”, a horn-driven burst of humorous insight about the reluctant boyfriend who got dumped by the wedding-obsessed girlfriend (thereby giving rise to the line, “She got the ring and I got the finger”). Lyrics are also a strong suit on “After the Last Witness Is Gone”, “I Wish It Was Friday” (not the obvious anthem you think it is) and particularly “In A Song”.
The other ten songs are original co-writes by Mead and others. (On the lone cover, George Harrison’s “Old Brown Shoe”, Vaughn’s electric guitar is set to “extra twang” and Gunderman accompanies on Vox organ.) “Gun Metal Gray”, a swampy number with Mead on resonator guitar and SteelDriver Mike Henderson on “spooky harp” (according to the credits), makes the case that in life, things aren’t black and white. “Up On Edge Hill”, meanwhile, is an accordion-flavored life cycle of its title’s town.
Guests include guitarist Audley Freed, former Derailers drummer Mark Horn, doghouse bassist Dave Roe, steel player Pat Sivers (particularly effective on “A Long Time Ago”), and Mead’s former BR549 bandmate Mark Miller on bass for most of the songs. It didn’t hurt to have Ray Kennedy behind the control board. Not surprisingly, Journeyman’s Wager is a sure bet.
