In the few times I have stopped by a small town diner to get that not-so-often sought after breakfast-in-the-evening, I’ve had the warm feeling in my stomach accompanied by an unsung jukebox hero I’ve never heard of. Though that hero may not be Tim Charron, his music reinstates this idea of a grown man singing his heart out to the dashboard of his truck, dreaming of Friday nights chasing the prom queen with a fifth of tequila and a broken heart. Providence, Tim Charron’s current release, is chock full of songs that champion the fruits of John Couger’s Singer Songwriter’s Melon Camp. Classic song structures are filled with strumming acoustic guitars, quintessential electric guitar fills and a vocal delivery that fits the roots-rock genre like a glove.
It’s pretty obvious that Tim isn’t trying to revolutionize music or break any new ground with his sound. He sticks strictly to the singer songwriter ideals set forth 20 years ago and earlier, and in my opinion, maybe a bit too much. Almost every song reminds me of songs I have heard many many times before, mostly in those chance opportunities I found myself at an open mic night in an over-the-hill, seasonal tavern, where most of the eight folks bobbing their heads, clickin’ their boots on the bar stool, have only a couple of dusty rock tapes in rotation on their short trip to the factory job down the road a piece. And for those people, there are some great tracks to be heard on Providence. The album’s opener, “United We Stand,” has sprinkles of John Couger, Springsteen and a touch of Jimmy Buffet. Giving the lyrics a chance, you’ll find an emotional journey of self-awareness, love, racial empathy and a call for military support. Though this may seem to some like a short stretch of the imagination, the hooks are solid and the mood fits the topic quite well.
The rest of the songs on Providence follow suite. Some tracks that don’t necessarily raise the bar, but raise some interest, are “Tequila Talk, Pink Champagne” and the sweet ballad, “Incomplete.” If there was one song I think could have been, not only left off the album, but left out of Tim’s mind, it would be “Cinnamon Skin.” The track kicks off like a mid ’80s JC Penny “all-pants-half-off” commercial, then quickly delves into a sexual innuendo fest that honestly made me laugh until I heard the guitar solo and remembered that I wasn’t listening to a clever comedy CD.
The production on Providence isn’t squeaky clean, but clean nonetheless. You can hear all the drums well and the guitars are captured with a warm tone. The vocals are all heard easily and the few piano sprinkles take up just the right space. All in all, Tim Charron’s Providence is a must have if you like to hear songs that follow the roots/rock tradition and lead you into remembering some of the genre’s favorite artists. If you are into new music, you won’t find it here, unless you are a fan of Tim Charron and have been awaiting his new release: a warm keepsake in ode to his continuing music career.
