Night Hawk
BFD, 2016
8/10
The year 2016 was great for Charlie Daniels, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and also released Night Hawk, which offers a reflection of stories that were told by cowboys on the trails, and often around a campfire.
“Big Balls in Cowtown” starts the listen with swift fiddle acrobatics as Daniels’ inimitable vocals guide the festive, rural melodies, and “Billy The Kid” follows with a rugged yet very tuneful spirit of rhythmic, vivid storytelling that recruits some Spanish guitar.
In the middle, the pace slows down with the harmonica friendly and sublime beauty of “Goodnight Loving Trail”, while “Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer)” is a bouncy and playful display of country filled harmonies and swing nods. “Running With The Crowd”, the album highlight, then moves slower with a heartfelt and gritty delivery of classic Daniels song craft.
Close to the end, “Can’t Beat The Damned Ole Machine” illustrates Daniels at his most soulful in a campfire-esque sort of way, and “Yippie Ki Yea” exits the listen bare, emotive and tinted with melancholy.
If you’re even vaguely familiar with Daniels’ work, you’ll know there just isn’t a mediocre spot in his catalog and Night Hawk is certainly another exceptional chapter that his fans will certainly embrace.
Travels well with: The Oak Ridge Boys- 17th Avenue Revival; Confederate Railroad- Lucky To Be Alive