Labor & Spirits by Emory Joseph
By Michael Buffalo Smith

It came to him in a dream.

“To do more than just survive in this world will take much labor, and spirits of all kinds.”

These words, spoken to Emory Joseph in a dream by his great uncle, George Emory Hill, inspired the title of this album, a CD filled with passion and honesty- and oh yeah, a lot of damn good music. The record is drenched in gospel and soul, laden with heavy grooves that explore virtually every type of roots music, from blues to funk and beyond.

“Carolina Princess,” which opens the album, proves right off the bat that Joseph is a skilled songwriter with a true gift for imagery. It is a whole new twist on the classic train song, with some heavy steel rail drumming by Kenny Aronoff, formerly of The John Mellencamp Band (13 albums) and currently touring with Joe Cocker and Melissa Etheridge.

Comparisons come a dime a dozen in this industry, but it’s not very often that you hear so many influences on a single release. On Labor and Spirits, there are shades of James Taylor, The Band, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, J.J. Cale and Little Feat, all mixed into a musical gumbo that comes off the front burner bubbling and tasting like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. In fact, the last time I ran across a disc that turned my ear with such intensity was last year’s Ain’t Love Strange by Paul Thorn, and truth be known, there are some similarities in style between the former boxer and Emory Joseph. But among all of the influences and similarities, the originality of this California troubadour rises to the surface and bursts it’s way through any level of comparison.

“Rhum and Coffee,” dedicated to Guy Clark, is chock full of instrumental precision from the bouncing piano of Jon Carroll, to the drumming of Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention) and The Band's Levon Helm; two of several multi-instrumentalists on the record. In fact, the musicianship featured on Labor & Spirits is some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of assimilating via my auditory inputs, coming from some of the finest players ever to lay down a track, including T-Bone Wolk; Kenny Aronoff; Jon Carroll; Dave Mattacks; Duke Levine; Soozie Tyrell, and Mike Marshall.

“The Same” is a lovely song, one that found me punching up the repeat button time and time again. There's a real John Prine sensibility woven through the lyrics of this one, and the melody is easy on the senses. “Trinkets” works it’s way into an almost gospel-like romp by track’s end, and “Work to Do” begins with an alt-country beat before rocking into a real Elvis Presley feel on the chorus and bridge.

“Early in the Morning” could have easily been written by Elvis Costello, with a bridge written by The Beatles. One of the things I notice about Joseph’s music is the accessibility of it. Most of the songs could be recorded by any serious artist, and sound great. Not that Emory himself is any slouch in the vocal department. In fact, his voice has just enough of an edge to make it stand head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries. Still, I found myself imagining Roy Orbison delivering this one. It’s those little musical mind games that make my job interesting.

“Daddy John,” set to a real Lowell George groove, tells the story of the artist’s father, a singer himself, among other things, who left Emory and his mom when Joseph was only four years old. It’s obvious through the music that losing his dad had a great impact on Emory, but like all great artists, he managed to turn his pain into art, and “Daddy John” is quite good.

The album is simply filled with great songs, from “Sweet William,” the story of a man named William Johnson’s life and death, filled with absolutely beautiful acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin; to “Be Home Baby,” one man’s anticipation of returning home to his loved one; and “Family Dog,” which compares a married man to a dog- not exactly a stretch for some of us.

“I had to learn a lot of tricks to get to stay inside.”

I hear you Emory.

After all of these musical explorations, it would stand to reason that Emory would have a burning desire to walk on the lighthearted side, which he and the band do big time at record’s end. “Big Ol,’” is a real Frank Zappa flavored cut of beef, and “Donny’s Bad Day” is a hilarious “bonus quack.” These, you’ll just have to hear for yourself.

Labor & Spirits is a breath of fresh air in an often polluted industry, and an album you will find yourself playing time and time again. Fix yourself a bowl of black beans with red hot chilies, pour up an adult beverage, and crank up the stereo to eleven. Oh, and don’t forget to set the changer to “repeat.”