THE DAVID MAYFIELD PARADE
Good Man Down
David Mayfield 002

www.thedavidmayfieldparade.com
 

Given that David Mayfield has been involved in a wide variety of musical endeavors ranging from the family bluegrass band he grew up playing in, to the folk rock and alt.country of contemporaries like Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers, and the dark, moody music of his sister Jessica Lea Mayfield, it should come as no surprise that giving a coherent description of his second release Good Man Down is something akin to reviewing all the offerings in the buffet at the local Denny’s. Mayfield is adventurous, covers a lot of tempos and moods, and views the album, in his own words, as his own version of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (and the comicbook-style liner notes are a clear homage to the adventure hero theme). “Love Will Only Break Your Heart,” for example, is about coming of age, leaving home and meeting (and losing) first love, done in a breezy country rock style that echoes Jackson Browne, the Eagles and other ’70s icons. Like “Another Year” and “Little Blue Car,” it also hints at spiritual longing and confusion. “Tempted,” a Marty Stuart song that is the only track on the album not written by Mayfield, is as the title suggests a tale of desire and temptation. It’s reminiscent of the kind of good-natured rockers Van Morrison was putting out forty years ago. Even the instrumental numbers include, shades of the Moody Blues, a mellotron.

Mayfield is, on the whole, an interesting and evocative songwriter, albeit sometimes on the gloomy and weird side of things, but even at his darkest he seems to retain a sense of humor, even if it’s sardonic. He’s not a particularly strong vocalist, a bit nasal at times, but the arrangements and production (and the disc is self-produced) combine to support and highlight his strengths. A quick glance at the supporting cast reveals names like Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (yes, the whole band) along with fiddler Jim Van Cleve and singer/guitarist Steve Gulley, which may lead some to the conclusion that it’s yet another “bluegrass solo” album, but that’s far from the truth. It’s mostly electric. And eclectic, enough to invite the question: “is it folk music?” But however any given person answers that, Good Man Down stands on its own as an enjoyable listen.

— John Lupton