The Musical Divide

It’s fair to say that a new Charles Wesley Godwin comes with high expectations. With his 2019 solo debut, Seneca, Godwin crafted a tribute to West Virginia that was beautifully produced and written in how it captured the windswept beauty of finding a sense of place, both physically and mentally. It was my favorite album of that year, and a choice I stand by wholeheartedly. I think some took more to 2021’s How The Mighty Fall, though: a darker, more universal, and even more desperate project that captured his Appalachian-based characters teetering on the edge of insanity as they struggled to make lives for themselves; an equally excellent follow-up, at that.

And it’s one thing when projects by independent names like his catch greater swell within the world of critics and online country music fans in the know, but, like with similar stories surrounding fast-rising names such as Zach Bryan, the unexpected happened with Godwin. He signed to Big Loud Records, but also experienced a period of burnout likely caused by excessive touring and the newfound pressures of working with a major label. And I don’t think it’s necessarily unfair, speaking as a fan, to worry about what this might have meant for his organic Appalachian sound, given some of the names associated with that label. But with Al Torrence once again at the helm for production and a greater focus on family in the overall album arc to rejuvenate Godwin’s spirits, we have what is by far his longest, most sprawling album to date with Family Ties.

But I will admit, like with other albums I’ve reviewed lately, this one has taken time and repeated listens to settle further with me. It’s bloated without fully justifying a payoff, mostly due to certain thematic arcs running together after a point. But as a whole, it’s another gorgeous-sounding effort from Godwin and Torrence. Really, given the rise and popularity of other Appalachian-based artists who’ve opted for a similar instrumental palette, I still think there’s a bone-deep richness in terms of pure tone with Godwin’s work that’s just hard to match, helped further by his slightly deeper timbre and commanding howl that lends a natural nuance and maturity to his material.

And it starts right away off the gorgeous percussive patter interlaced with the gentle fiddle and piano on “Family Ties,” which is further bolstered by the propulsive, damn-near cinematic swell of “The Flood” that progresses and erupts nicely. And I really dug the fast-paced shuffle and urgency anchoring “Another Leaf” in its desperate desire to return home from the road, especially when it then shifts into a slower tempo for something more sensual before picking up the pace once more.

I think what’s throwing me most is the overall mood and tempo. This isn’t meant to be as dark or adventurous as Godwin’s previous solo albums, and the instrumentation is often lighter in crafting an overall brighter tone. Off the slower tempos and firmer acoustic backbone, too, it’s also an album that requires a certain patience to appreciate some of the subtler details in between, like the beautiful intimacy captured through cuts like “Dance in Rain” or “West of Lonesome.” I’ll admit I missed some of those rougher edges and found it dragged at points, especially when, again, the album nestles into a comfortable groove for an extended time and doesn’t differ much in tone, outside of the ‘90s country-rocker “Two Weeks Gone” and the southern-rock stomper “Cue Country Roads.”

But that might also be because it’s an intentionally settled, more comfortable album for Godwin overall, informed less by character-driven narratives this time around as it is his own life and stories. It’s what also helps to establish a sort of duality with this album, with a first half centered around a general appreciation for family and a second half that doesn’t take said family for granted. And this is where Godwin’s firm eye for detail and ability to really paint his scenes with a firm handle comes into play well. First through a tribute to his father on “Miner Imperfections” that paints him as the typically expected quiet, stoic family man, but also someone who truly comes to life when it comes to his family, like through the birth of his grandchildren. Even on previous works, Godwin’s fictional accounts always felt like they captured real people, but in dealing with the deeper complexities behind one’s own personal persona in actually talking about real family members this time around, there’s an empathetic perspective that always keeps his viewpoint grounded, balanced, and always aware of the general gift of humanity.

It’s what adds a touch of melancholy to tracks directly dedicated to his children in “Gabriel” and “Dance in Rain,” because there’s a familiar parental fear captured in wanting to do right by them while also knowing their path to take in life is their own. But it’s also an album where Godwin feels the passage of time slipping away via his own art, where the touring-centered second half of the album rips him away from home and adds a layer of complexity to the overall message at hand in recalling “Miner Imperfections”: that hard work – especially through a sprawling, passionate album like this but in any regard, really – will inevitably steal time from the present to provide for a future, which is why you never let it completely dominate you and appreciate any and all moments in between.

It’s why, again, “Another Leaf” works so well for me in making the return home feel far more frantic and urgent akin to a journey. And a song of longing like “West of Lonesome,” complete with those ghostly echoes of pedal steel, is among his best. Even if the homage to Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” by way of “10-38” does seem out of place at first glance, it still captures the same dogged desperation in chasing down dreams that lends the second half a lot of weight, as does a soulful letter of intent and stability once safely home on “Willing and Able.” Actually, the entire album is like its own odyssey in that regard.

That doesn’t mean it fully justifies the extended run period, however. For as much as I like seeing “Soul Like Mine” brought over from Godwin’s Union Sound Treaty days, having a mostly murky piano ballad like that follow a similar-themed but far more engaging cut like “Two Weeks Gone” does make it feel like an inessential cut. And an obvious overlap in theme is probably this album’s greatest weakness, with certain cuts outshining others. Speaking as someone who, again, missed some of the more jagged edges and darker writing of Godwin’s previous projects, I didn’t click as much with the slightly sleepy drinking song in “That Time Again,” or the somewhat hollow “Skyline Blues.” Still, even if I’ve seen some cite it as a misstep, I actually kind of appreciate having “Cue Country Roads” (along with a solid John Denver cover of the titular song right afterward) near the end to give this album a bit more drive, as well as a momentum it somewhat lacks otherwise.

Even then, it’s still a great marvel to behold overall. Godwin is only growing more artistically ambitious with every release, where the love, appreciation, and passion for his roots and family that’s always shone through feels fully realized here. It’s not always perfect, but it’s a journey through a life that doesn’t need to be, nor should it. Sometimes you need those dances in the rain to snap back into perspective. At least here, that’s worth appreciating.

(8/10)

• Favorite tracks: “Two Weeks Gone,” “West of Lonesome,” “Family Ties,” “Miner Imperfections,” “Another Leaf,” “10-38,” “Willing and Able”
• Least favorite track: “That Time Again”

Buy or stream the album.