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Bingham has delivered a set of songs that mirrors our uncertain times in a musical language that doesn't unduly distort or romanticise them.
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Bingham made a challenging record, opted to go the Bad Blake route instead of going down in a blaze of ponytails and designer jeans, and that ensures his relevance for years to come.
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It's an unfortunate reminder that even on an album populated by seedy characters and hard roads, Bingham still struggles with the devil in the details.
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Bingham's writing is filled with stark images and canny observations, which is evident on such tracks as "Self-Righteous Wall" and album opener "The Poet." Look for this gifted young artist's star to keep rising.
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This moody, recession-themed collection from Bingham--who won an Oscar this year for a song from Crazy Heart--is unlikely to boost anyone's morale during our current downturn, but Junky Star might make some folks feel less alone.
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Moreover, on Junky Star, Bingham's stripped voice sounds at turns plaintive, scrappy, and hypnotic, with plenty of subtlety and a ringing vibrato.
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Q MagazineAward-winning country from the school of hard knocks. [Oct. 2010, p. 103]
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On his third disc, his lyrics come off as more cinematic than believable; the title track finds him "sleeping on the Santa Monica pier with the junkies and the stars."
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Bingham made Junky Star with Crazy Heart collaborator T-Bone Burnett, but the A-list producer mostly resists applying his trademark chamber-roots atmosphere.
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The collaboration works, not least because emphasis is placed on the grounded heave of Mr. Bingham's fine working band, the Dead Horses: Corby Schaub on guitar and mandolin, Elijah Ford on bass and Matt Smith on drums.
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UncutT Bone's unfussy production is key, allowing Bingham's rusted voice to take stage centre. [Oct 2010, p.89]