Album Review: Jason Boesel – Hustler’s Son

Jason Boesel
Hustler’s Son
Team Love

There’s no denying that singing, song-writing drummers are just as much a novelty as they are a rarity (see Henley, Collins, or that guy from Night Ranger). But anyone who’s had the fortune of hearing beat-keeper Jason Boesel croon with Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band understands that Boesel means business. Best known for his work with Rilo Kiley and The Elected, Boesel recently came out from behind the kickdrum to record his solo debut, Hustler’s Son—a soulful, sinewy alt-country carousel that just might see him joining the ranks of multi-tasking greats like Levon Helm, Dennis Wilson, and Dave Grohl.

Produced by canyon folk champion Jonathan Wilson, Hustler’s Son boasts an impressive cast of collaborators—Mystic Valley Band member Nik Freitas, Dave Rawlings, Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink, and Rilo Kiley lead player Blake Sennett—but none more impressive than Boesel himself, who, after 15 years on the stool, has found his bearings as an unlikely frontman.

The album opens with “Black Waves,” on which Boesel sings of hurricane sand, crimes committed, and lovers led on. There’s also his strange fascination with the number 26. “Black Waves” is one of a handful of tracks that borrows melodies from Boesel’s Mystic Valley Band contributions (see “Eagle on a Pole,” from 2009’s Outer South). It’s also one of the album’s many sun-drenched ditties—though this one is not exactly luau-friendly, with its haunting guitar solo and howling organ accompaniment.

The album’s lead single, “Hand of God,” features yet another melody straight from Outer South (this one drawing from “Difference is Time”), but enhances it with a catchier hook, a more robust sound, and a little lyrical weight borrowed from The Band: “Saw a crystal ball rolling down the street, thought I’d try to hop a ride/God damn I couldn’t catch it. It went and left me mystified.” While Mystic Valley bander Taylor Hollingsworth’s presence (and by presence I mean guitar solo) is missed here, “Hand of God” works, but more as a “Difference is Time” reprise/Music from Big Pink homage than a standalone single.

“French Kissing” is a dreamy Lowell George-evoking waltzer with warm harmonies and sparkling arrangements that allow plenty of room for Boesel to show off his newfound vocal abilities. And later, on “Miracles,” Boesel manages to sing, “It’s only rocking and rolling, there’s nothing to worry about,” in a way that’s both more convincing and somehow less offense than the way Mick Jagger sang it before him.

The album’s star track, “Getting Healthy (Good Luck),” is a straight and narrow, wheel-on-fire mélange of heightening melody and sundry metaphor, featuring not only some of Hustler’s Son‘s best lyrical and vocal work—Boesel channels Townes Van Zandt here—but also some impressive, less-is-more noodling from fellow Rilo Kiley cohort Blake Sennett.

“I Got the Reason #1” clarifies, in its namesake alone, that it’s the predecessor to Outer South’s similarly titled track, though it shouldn’t have to, considering it is a largely superior rendition with substantial lyrical improvements. Boesel keeps this version candid and without cumber: “I don’t care anymore about what you do behind your sliding glass door/What it is, why don’t you do some more/and who it is, why don’t you do them a favor and…” “I Got the Reason #1” weighs in as Hustler’s Son’s most epic number. Its robust rhythm accompaniment combined with layers of sublime organ work, subtle lyrical substance, and soaring vocal harmonies result in a dust storm of Americana sound.

More Wilco than Rilo, more Cardinal than Mystic, Hustler’s Son is a commendable solo debut, chock-full of swaying, pacific-themed alt-country crooners and soulful roadhouse ballads, making it truly one of the first great albums of 2010.