Jason Boland & The Stragglers ‘Squelch’ Album Review

It seems like I can’t turn around these days without a different artist being proclaimed as the savior and redeemer of country music. So I won’t add Jason Boland to that list, but if you like a crooning pedal steel, solid, rhythmic songs, and lyrics that teeter in the space between the mundane and maudlin, Jason Boland is worth your time. This is not alt-country or Americana or folk-rock – it’s honky-tonk, played with an unapologetic commitment to that tradition without being overly derivative.

The band’s latest release, Squelch, comes out on October 9. The first track, “Break 19” hooked me instantly. The song drives and grooves with excellent bass and fiddle work. Boland’s strong baritone makes the chorus refrain pretty believable: “The more I see, / the less I claim to know.” He sounds like a guy who has seen his fair share. Another line in the song is: “Once you read between the lines, / You’ll miss the days when you were blind.” This kind of balance between simplicity and depth seems a good example of Boland’s lyrics.

Other highlights on the album are “The First To Know” and “Do You Love Me Any Less.” Boland sings: “Do you love me any less when I’m gone? / Do you love me any more when I’m at home? / Do you think of someone else when you hear your favorite song? / Do you love me any less when I’m gone?” You have to deliver lyrics like these perfectly to avoid being overly sentimental, and Boland’s delivery is perfect. Cody Angel’s pedal steel complements the tone of the song and enriches it with some gorgeous solos.

I expected to hate the last song, “Fuck, Fight, and Rodeo,” because I assumed it would be about crushing beer cans on your head, beating up men and using women. But it’s kind of a political song, or, more accurately, an anti-politician song; it kind of reminded me of David Allen Coe. “Nothing’s ever gonna change / With their crowd running the show / Welcome to our home down range / To fuck, fight, and rodeo.” (N.B. New Englanders: “rodeo” can be a verb.) It’s catchy and I found it stuck in my head. Now, it’s a problem if you’re going to pick your kids up from school and that’s the song you’re humming.
I think this band would be really fun to see live, and the studio probably holds them back a little bit. Squelch would be a solid addition to your country music collection–check it out on October 9.