American Saga
Flour Sack Cape, 2016
9/10
The singer-songwriter Charlie Hager makes quite an impression on this debut album where he carries the spirit of legends like Billy Joe Shaver and Waylon Jennings across 10 tracks of social and political themed songs that certainly run parallel with the rich history of his Nashville home.
“Way Down Low” starts the listen with fiddle acrobatics as Hager’s expressive and warm vocals enter the bluegrass flavored fun that soars with plenty of melody, and “These Days” follows with soothing acoustic guitar where frisky percussion highlights the fluid Americana.
Further on, “Isn’t It Strange?”, one of the album’s best, flows with memorable rootsy rock where Benjamin Jason Douglas offers his gruff pipes alongside Hager’s smooth delivery, while “Sounds Of Our Home” rests in ballad territory with much beauty radiating from Jenny Anne Nooe’s soulful singing. “What’s Your Secret” then takes a darker turn where organs and ominous vocals add another dimension to Hager’s atypical vision.
The album finishes with “Here Comes The Flood” and “American Saga”, where the former is a full display of rugged alt-country, and the latter exits with a stirring and bare execution that allows Hager’s many talents to really shine.
Though Hager has a lengthy musical past, he returned to songwriting later in life, after his kids were nearly grown, and that lengthy hiatus helps instill a very wise and mature aspect to his craft that results in some of the most engaging Americana being made today.
Travels well with: Jason Benjamin Douglas- First World Blues; Ben De La Cour- Shadowland