FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2016 file photo, Vince Gill poses for a photo at his home in Nashville, Tenn. Gill doesn’t hold back on weighty topics of regret, faith, his marriage and sexual abuse on his new record “Okie” coming out on Aug. 23, 2019. The Grammy-winner admitted to breaking down in the studio as he sang a song for his wife, Amy Grant, but he said there’s a lot of emotion tied up his songs, some of which he waited a lifetime to write and record. (Photo by Donn Jones/Invision/AP, file)
August 20, 2019 - 10:57 AM
Vince Gill, "Okie" (MCA Nashville)
Musically and politically, Vince Gill straddles the middle of the road on his new album "Okie."
"We're too far left and too far right," Gill opines on the song "Black and White."
The singing centrist from Oklahoma creates a coffee house vibe on his 12-song set, with tempos that are never swift and playing that's always polite. Gill keeps his Eagles-caliber guitar chops under wraps, and fellow virtuosos Tom Bukovac and Jedd Hughes lend only subtle support. There's little twang until Paul Franklin's wonderfully weepy pedal steel on the album closer "A World Without Haggard."
Gill's approach puts the focus on the songs, and maybe that's wise. While those allergic to sentimentality might want to steer clear, there's an appealing honesty in the often autobiographical lyrics, and Gill's melodies and vocals are lovely.
Back-to-back contemporary Christian tunes serve as love songs to his wife, singer Amy Grant, and are the album's highlights because they're so beautifully sung. When Gill climbs to a high A on the piano ballad "When My Amy Prays," the transcendent moment might give even a doubting Thomas goosebumps.
Gill also references the #MeToo movement ("Forever Changed"), the racial divide ("The Price of Regret"), teen pregnancy ("What Choice Would You Make") and three of his heroes (Merle Haggard, Guy Clark and Mom). There's also a song about a dad — and patricide. Autobiographical it is not.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019