“Are you open?” is the type of question that invites introspection, whether it’s asked of another or to oneself. Having reached a certain point of his career where he’s firmly established himself as a folk/blues singer-songwriter of a consistently fine caliber, Seth Walker is still discovering his true self, a motivator to keep pushing his music forward even when he has little left to prove to anyone else.
Thus, there’s a little restlessness and self-reflection about taking chances for something more meaningful in life that pervades his newest album Are You Open? (Royal Potato Family), epitomized by the title song: an affecting, Nashville-tinged number centered on Walker’s wistful vocal as he laments he “can’t take no more doors closing, I’m just hoping you’re open.”
Producer Jano Rix (Wood Brothers) is back on hand behind the boards but more so than before does not take a ‘one size fits all’ approach, sprinkling contemporary flavorings on some tunes while going for a pure, rootsy sound for others. It’s those varied sound prints that makes the presentation for next song harder to predict; it also exploits more of Walker’s strengths. Capacious arrangements always suit Walker well and that’s the one common ingredient found in all ten of these tracks.
There’s a touch of Memphis soul to add to its folk DNA on “Giving It All Away” that sounds so modern but also very stripped down, and puts Walker’s vocal up front and in the center. “Inside” has plenty of contemporary music shadings that would make this song not out of place on Top 40 radio in the present day but it’s also got Chris Wood’s standup bass to root it down. But before anyone can conclude that Walker has crossed over, there’s the rather organically Jamaican “All I Need To Know,” and “Underdog” is Taj Mahal-like in the way it melds Delta blues with calypso with ease and tosses in a fuzzy electric guitar lead for extra fun.
Besides, if there’s any ‘crossing over’ going on, it’s Walker ending his avoidance of contemporary social issues; “No More Will I” is his declaration that he can longer “turn a blind eye” to bigotry and the divisiveness that’s swept the country in recent years. Appropriately, it is written and played in the style of the civil rights hymns of the 50s and 60s.
“Something To Hold” is just Walker and his acoustic guitar, the exposed setting where the confessional singer-songwriter earns his stripes and this one does as he sings about “letting go of all those things I called my own” in order to “have something to hold.” “Magnolia” is just as personal, adding just a dash of Old World accordion to the mix, another instance where Walker weaves in his global sense of cultures outside his own and ends up making it part of his imprint.
It’s tempting to call this record a tilt toward Ben Harper territory, something that’s a compliment in my book. Upon further reflection, though, this might be the most “Seth Walker” record Seth Walker has ever made.
Are You Open? is due out February 15, 2019 by Royal Potato Family.
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