NEW ALBUMS
MURRY HAMMOND
AMERICANA Album of the month
Old 97’s co-founder makes a thoroughly compelling, long overdue return to solo mode
Windblown sonic landscapes: Murry Hammond
Trail Songs Of The Deep FLUFF AND GRAVY
8/10
FRONTMAN and primary songwriter Rhett Miller may be routinely viewed as captain of Old 97’s, but Murry Hammond’s role is not to be denied. The bassist and singer formed the Texan alt.country pioneers with Miller in 1992, stamping his mark on key songs like “W. TX Teardrops”, “Smokers” and “This Beautiful Thing” – taking lead vocals in the process – as the years rolled on. And while Miller has juggled Old 97’s with a steady run of solo albums, Hammond’s own debut, 2008’s spare I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m On My Way, was typically low-key and alluring.