A. Lee Edwards – Interpreting Heart Sounds, Vol. 1 | Album Review
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Self-Released
The first 30 years of A. Lee Edwards’s career took place partially behind a sheer curtain of enigma. His first project, Lou Ford, was named after a fictional character in a book but served as a makeshift persona for Edwards himself. His next project, The Loudermilks, was named after two gospel singers from the 50s (who themselves were using a stage name). Both Lou Ford and The Loudermilks were sonic brethren with The Jayhawks, The Old 97’s, and Uncle Tupelo—twangy indie rock with pedal steel guitar.
On Interpreting Heart Sounds, Vol. 1, Edwards finally pulls back the curtain.
It’s stripped back and mostly simple. The instruments lean more analog (acoustic guitars, banjo, fiddle) with some virtuosic pedal steel guitar and brushed shuffle drums for good measure. Where Lou Ford was a beer-soaked wood floor and a neon Rolling Rock Sign, Interpreting Heart Sounds is a screened-in front porch, a mug of Darjeeling, and the newspaper. The music is slower but more deliberate. It’s gentler but more tender. It’s not quite as urgent as the gritty alt-country tracks of yore, but there are times Edwards shows he can still swing. This is music to dance with your honey to, sometimes cheek-to-cheek slow dancing and sometimes twirling and toe-tapping.
Changes which some may attribute to age, Edwards attributes to wisdom. He’s sober now, and he lives in the mountains. Where he used to write about the great unknown chasm of life, Edwards now stands on the other side, clear-headed and with the experience of a road-tested traveler. Edwards’s career is so full-circle, in fact, that Interpreting Heart Sounds includes a re-record of a song from Lou Ford’s second album, Alan Freed’s Radio. While the first version of “Move Up to the Mountains” (recorded in 2000) is an upbeat board-stomper of a saloon tune, this new version is sweeter and more reflective. On the former, one hears in Edwards’ voice a longing to leave the chaos of life behind. On the latter, he left long ago. He shakes his head and chuckles at his younger self.
There is a real warmth to these recordings. On tracks like the opener, “Ride On,” and mid-album cut “Get Out, Get In,” one can sense the players making music live in the room together, perhaps all gathered around the same cluster of microphones. The collected decades of experience of the musicians on this record are on full display. The musicianship is tight, but the arrangements are playful. This speaks to an artist who has no interest in proving himself to anyone anymore but rather wants to tell stories and make a statement about his career—take it or leave it.
As if Edwards’s songwriting and the band’s musicianship weren’t enough, the album was mixed in Aberdeen, Scotland, by the legendary John Wood, who produced albums by Nick Drake, John Cale, Fairport Convention, and Richard and Linda Thompson. Whatever special sauce Wood used on those records can be heard here.
Interpreting Heart Sounds, Vol 1. is a product of what came before. We don’t get the measured tenderness of A. Lee Edwards without the raucous youthfulness of Lou Ford. We miss out on the breezy harmonies of Heart Sounds if we don’t first have the dual-lead vocals of The Loudermilks. The record is an ode to reflection, paying homage to past lives by giving the listener both space and grace to contemplate. It’s a fun listen that soothes. It’s a perfect companion to a summer drive, whether you’re coming or going.
Caleb Doyle (St. Louis, MO) is a music writer and dive bar enthusiast. He would love to talk to you about pro wrestling, your favorite cheeseburger, and your top 10 American rock bands. You can find Caleb on most social media @ ClassicDoyle, or subscribe to his music Substack, Nightswimming, HERE. (nightswimmingblog.substack.com)
