I Thought I Was Fine
Schoolkids, 2021
10/10
Listen to I Thought I Was Fine
The veteran musician and author Tommy Womack (Government Cheese, Bis-quits, etc.) returns with an 8th solo album, where he visits his rock’n’roll roots, and he brings Jonathan Bright and Lisa Oliver Gray along for the raw, punk rock spirit that often lines these 13 lively tracks.
“Pay It Forward” gets the album off to a swift, melodic start, where Bright’s agile drumming and Gray’s soothing backing vocals complement the gritty rock’n’roll, and “I Thought I Was Fine” follows with Womack’s intricate guitar work alongside playful ukulele fueling the retro rocker.
Womack and company deliver one fantastic song after another, and in the middle “I Got No Place To Go” chugs along with some garage rock spirit that you can’t help but adore, while “Call Me Gary” recruits spoken word into the charming storytelling. “I Do” then bursts into a power-pop friendly 3 minutes that’s genuine and full of humble energy.
“Job Hunting While Depressed” arrives near the end, and embraces some very Nashville-esque ideas that sound like they might be fleshed out around a campfire, and “I Wish I’d Known You Better” exits the listen with a soft folk song that illustrates Womack at his most reflective.
A late entry for album of the year, Womack channels all the facets of Paul Westerberg, Jesse Malin, Jeff Tweedy and even Hamell On Trial that we love, and his vast experience makes for one really memorable and relatable listen. It’s been a tough few years for Womack, who nearly died in a car accident and also survived cancer 3 times, and now approaching 60 years old, he’s making some of the best music of his life.
Travels well with: Jim Lauderdale- Hope; I See Hawks In L.A.- On Our Way