New Harlan T. Bobo - Interview Plus MP3

Harlan T. Bobo's 2005 album Too Much Love was a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. Chronicling his relationship with artist Yvonne Bobo, whose name he took in a makeshift wedding ceremony, the music documents his obsession with the demise of their affair. The album went on to become a critically acclaimed cult classic, making countless "best of" lists and being hailed by The Memphis Flyer as the best album to come out of Memphis in 5 years. It was a cabaret of music filled with country-tinged rock-and-roll waltzes with lyrics written and sung by someone who sounded like a sobered Tom Waits. It made local musicians green with envy and his fans salivate for more, but while many songs had been quickly written and recorded for a sophomore album, the compositions sat in a box underneath Bobo's bed while he contemplated the aftermath of his first album, struggled with the concept of loyalty, and dealt with his muse's request that he no longer use their tumultuous relationship as fodder for his art.

Two years have now passed and this week the sequel to Too Much Love will finally see the light of day. Recorded at a multitude of venues, including Bobo's home, producer Doug Easley's home, Young Avenue Sound and First Congo Church, the album picks up where Too Much Love left off, but this time Bobo seems to be singing a letter to himself more than to his former flame.

"If the last one was all about me and Yvonne, well, this one is definitely not all about me and Yvonne. She did ask me not to write songs about her anymore, but there are a few that I snuck in" says Bobo. "But you know, you sing a bunch of songs about one person over and over again, it’s about time to do something different, isn't it?"

Bobo admits one of the things he learned from writing such passionate and vulnerable songs has been that it can make his performance vary based on his ability to take himself to certain places that he might not want to return to.

"Singing those songs over and over again is not always easy because they're written from a real emotional standpoint, so if I don’t get there while I'm singing it, it kind of dies. Performance-wise, if I don't get there I just feel like I'm talking to squirrels, so yeah, I definitely have to stay in that spot."

It's a spot that Bobo seems to have overcome for the most part. While two years ago he seemed dead set on proving his loyalty to Yvonne and the term "till death do us part," he now claims to have embraced his bachelorhood and let go of the past. However, themes of relationships, fatherhood and struggles with life and death still claim their territory on I'm Your Man. The River City Tanline's Alicja Trout sings back-up on "So Bad?" when Bobo laments about watching children play and regretting he and his lover never had a child of their own. Dave Shouse, formerly of The Grifters and Bloodthirsty Lovers, plays piano on "Baptist Memorial," a ditty about having a heart attack, and then there's "God's Lamb" which offers up a conversation between Bobo and his higher power. Longtime fans have surely heard most of these songs, Bobo has been performing them live for the past two years, however, the clarity of the lyrics becomes much more haunting as they become more clear. Some listeners might be surprised that Bobo admits several songs that were once thought to be about Yvonne, are actually sung to himself, as is the case with "One of These Days." The paradox of Harlan T. Bobo is the mystery that surrounds him as a person, while his subject matter is so undeniably accessible.


While Bobo is quite obviously a gifted ringmaster, he was joined by a bevy of talent to pull off his vision. Touring band members Jeremy Scott (bass) and Paul Buchignani (drums) join Bobo again as his rhythm section, while Jonathan Kirkscey (cello) and Chang Lee (String Bass) also were invited back to the party. Other guests include Alex Greene (piano), Tim Prudhomme (voice) and Jim Spake (saxophone) and Scott Thompson (trumpet) of The Memphis Rhythm Band. Of course, producer Doug Easley, who has worked with The White Stripes, Wilco, Cat Power, and Pavement, leaves his lovely fingerprints all over the recordings.

"I just think he's great and an obvious choice" says Bobo.

Between albums Bobo has kept busy doing arrangements for Cat Power's album The Greatest, and composing music for Showtime's reality documentary Sexual Healing, and the upcoming Pleasure for Sale for the Sundance Channel. The latter opportunities came about after Karen Rachtman, known for her work as the music supervisor for Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Clueless, Reality Bites, Four Rooms, Desperado and Boogie Nights, was in Memphis to speak at a NARAS event and heard Bobo's music on WEVL, a local independent radio station. In the past three week’s Bobo claims to have written 120 songs.

"It's a musical workout that I need, I haven't played so much in my entire life."

Harlan has also kept busy by continuing to work with a multitude of other musicians on a vast number of side projects, including New Orleans' King Louie and their recently released Loose Diamonds project, Memphis Treet, playing bass with Jack Oblivian's Tearjerkers on their recent European tour and recording with Viva L'American Deathray and The Limes. These projects have made it more difficult for Bobo to pull off the theatrics that were once a hallmark of his live shows. There was a time when seeing a Harlan T. Bobo show meant catching him dressed as a sad clown, walking on stilts, wearing a costume made of Christmas lights, leading a sing-a-long from a coloring book, wearing a pair of mechanical wings, or all of the above. In recent months, the accomplished prop master has had to dial back his showmanship to be unleashed only on special occasions like his consistently packed Christmas and Valentine's Day shows.

Bobo has been sort of a hometown secret up until this point. While he's garnered rave record reviews from publications and websites all over the country, he still has yet to have a proper tour that might introduce him to a wider audience. This fall that will all change as he plans to tour the states after another short run in Europe. A CD release show is scheduled in Memphis on July 21st to coincide with the release of I’m Your Man on Goner Records on July 17th. It's expected to be quite a spectacle, because a Harlan T. Bobo record release is truly a holiday worth celebrating.

Tracklisting

1. I'm Your Man
2. God's Lamb
3. Baptist Memorial
4. My Life
5. Tick Tock
6. Pragmatic Woman
7. So Bad?
8. Last Step
9. Sick Of It
10. One Of These Days
11. Pretty Foolish Things





Harlan T. Bobo Interview

Listen to my interview with Harlan and check out 5 songs from the new CD

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