horizonrecords

Reviews:

Bill Callahan, the man known as Smog, isn't the misanthrope, you might peg him as after submerging yourself in the 12 CDs and many singles he's released since 1990. Callahan's ability to inspect and dissect the ways people hurt one another and hide from themselves, without pity, can be frightening. Some have called him the King of Pain. Others wonder how long he'll be able to survive if his tales of loss and alienation are even slightly autobiographical.

Not to worry. While Callahan's dark, stentorian baritone, bare bones backing tracks, minimal country/folk melodies, and funereal tempos remain intact, A River Ain't Too Much is probably his brightest, most uplifting collection. "Say Valley Maker" is an ode to difficult love that hints at failure and suicide before lifting its voice to sing of resurrection. "Bury me in fire and I'm gonna phoenix," Callahan sings, and you can almost see him smiling as he delivers the line. And "Drinking at the Dam," his reflection upon a misspent youth of alcohol and pornography, a perfect blend of the insight, compassion, and lack of sentimentality that Callahan brings to all his work.