Sammy Walker, Misfit Scarecrow

Ramseur Records Rocks like: Bob Dylan, but you can understand what he’s saying Grade: C- To… Ramseur Records Rocks like: Bob Dylan, but you can understand what he’s saying Grade: C- To most people, bluegrass only goes as far as ‘Dueling Banjos’ from ‘Deliverance’ or the Soggy Bottom Boys featured in ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ ‘ Besides in cinema, you can often only hear it in the soundtracks of documentaries talking about the good ol’ South. Unfortunately, Sammy Walker has a better chance of being heard in an IMAX film than on the radio anytime soon. Sammy Walker states on the inside cover of his album Misfit Scarecrow that he never got with the ‘in’ crowd at school. He tries to stay true to what he likes, which is quite similar to Bob Dylan, except for the lesser quality of songs and words that the listener can easily make out compared to the slur of words that Dylan sometimes lets loose. While it might seem arrogant to say that each track sounds the same, almost all the songs start with a generic folk feel (besides the global warming-based piano song titled, ‘If Jesus Don’t Show’) that can be simplified to happy folk/country or sad folk/country. Walker’s voice is then introduced to the album, which could possibly be the reason that his music isn’t heard more often. Walker’s voice is superficial ‘mdash; it lacks in complexity and tone and subsequently hurts the album. In the opening song, ‘Crazy Billy,’ the only quality that sticks with the listener is the irritating long ‘e’ at the end of the chorus, as in ‘Crazy Billeeeeeeee.’ This annoying tone that Walker creates lasts for most of the album, but fortunately Walker adapts to a softer, less sharp voice, specifically in ‘Marvin and Paula’ and especially ‘Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone.’ ‘Will You Miss Me’ actually ends up being the best track on the album ‘mdash; the voice is hushed and subdued like a lullaby, and the lyrics are extremely effective in displaying the heart and soul of Walker. The fine accompanying instrumentation makes the piece last. Even if the sound is generic, it is by far the best use of generic folk on the disc. This song is easily overshadowed, though, by lines like, ‘I heard about your brother who died when the Twin Towers came crashing down.’ It is strange to hear so many references in the album to modern-day events such as September 11th in ‘Another Sad Song About You’ and the mishmash of political messages in ‘Misfit Scarecrow.’ Through somewhat awkward references to modern politics, it appears that the nearly 60-year-old Walker is purposely trying to stay in touch with the world. His previous album to Misfit Scarecrow was released almost 15 years ago. Is it possible that Walker is not actually staying true to his roots and trying to adapt to a new world much different from the 1970s, the peak of his popularity? There’s nothing that puts Walker apart. His harmonica is nowhere near that of Dylan’s, and his voice lacks profusely. Walker has strayed far from his best years ‘mdash; he isn’t in touch with the listeners of today’s world. Yet, one belief heard strongly from Misfit Scarecrow is that Walker just wants to play. He never wanted to get involved in the commercial music business, according to his album notes. So Walker might never read this review and see the C- grade ‘mdash; he’ll be too busy plucking away on his guitar and singing his songs.