I wish to Hell this review had been done prior to my meeting Buddy Huffman! You see, now it seems that I have to come up with something negative to say about Macon Greyson's "Miles From Here" CD just to prove to myself, and some others, that I'm being impartial.

Ok. Here's the deal. I hate the cover. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like it. There. We've got that little bit of unpleasantness out of the way and now I can get on with talking about one of the best albums I've heard in a long time.

Though "Miles From Here" is Macon Greyson's debut album, (Pardon my age showing here. They'll always be "albums" to me) this is definitely not the sound of an inexperienced band. A look at the roster shows you why.

Bass player Jon Mastin has worked with Jimmy LaFave, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tony Lane, Chris Wall, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Guitarist Jim Richmond has played with everybody. Hey, he spent the seventies with David Allan Coe, then played with Jack Ingram, Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tommy Alverson and others. Drummer Pete Falcone has played with several bands including Johnny Reno and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Just drinking with these guys and listening to the stories would be great.

Into that experienced, incredibly solid group we then throw the Mad Scientist, Buddy Huffman. Good Lord! Buddy Huffman can talk for hours on just about any subject you can imagine, and do so intelligently. I had assumed he was just full of crap. like me, until Jay Johnson told me that Buddy had a Phd. in microbiology. When I started listening to "Miles From Here" and making notes, I contacted Buddy and asked him if he did indeed have a Phd. in microbiology, or had Jay just tried to set me up? Jay had indeed lied, Buddy told me. He, in fact, was finishing his dissertation, and would receive his Phd in MOLECULAR BIOLOGY in about three weeks.

Am I the only one frightened by this story? Good Lord, people! "Jurassic Park" just took a giant step toward reality! Ever since I found this out to be true, I have slept a little less soundly. Somehow the idea of Buddy manipulating DNA strands just scares the living Hell out of me!

Honestly, this has been a really difficult review for me to write, and I'm not sure why. Maybe part of it is that one of the first thoughts I had after listening to "Miles From Here" was, if I owned a record store, what category would I put this album in? I still don't know. The music has been called "southern grit", "alternative country", "southern rock", "roots rock", "country rock", "country folk", and "contemporary folk", and that would make for one hell of a big label. So maybe the best way to handle it would be to file them under "Macon Greyson", because they don't exactly fit any of those other classifications.

The album starts of with a couple of acoustic tracks that showcase the musicianship of the band and Huffman's gritty, soulful delivery make the songs seem more personal.These are followed by the wryly up-beat "Persona non grata". Huffman's voice is strangely familiar and comfortable to listen to. On some tracks he sounds a little like Greg Allman

"Only Me" is a beautiful song about a man running from his past. The exquisite acoustic guitar work and Huffman's haunting vocals make this on of my favorite tracks on the album.

Next up is a really cool rendition of the Hangdog's "Monopoly on the Blues". This is followed by "Texas Time", which is the weakest of the eleven tracks. Maybe it is just me, but I tend to be leery of any song with "drinkin' down a Shiner" in the lyrics. The Pat Green crowd will probably love it, though.

I can excuse that one as long as it is followed up with a song like "3AM". Do you know how refreshing it is to listen to a song with a traditional country sound, and to think, "I wonder what he meant by that line"? "3AM" is a song about depression, made all the sadder by some fine steel guitar work and, again, Huffman's vocals.

"Picture in a Frame" is another song about lost love. Huffman writes of our tendencies to remember only the good things about things we have lost. A lonely man reminiscing with his lover's "Picture in a Frame". "Heart of Stone" is the other cover on the album. It has a western swing feel to it with some nice fiddle.

"You Will Be" is a dark rocker showcasing Huffman's gift for penning really interesting lyrics. Buddy will drop an obscure Vonnegut reference on you in a heartbeat. But he doesn't need to for he can come with his own lines:

"Speaker crackles like an AM radio,  at the drive in show tonight. I watch James Dean, I wanna be a  giant just like him. I'll turn that key, and chase the sunset to those Marfa Lights, I know why."

The last song was written by Huffman and Ray Wylie Hubbard. "Glory or the Gallows" is a sad ballad about an aging bounty hunter. Huffman's vocals are again excellent on this track but just hearing Ray Wylie Hubbard pronounce the word "salvation" is worth the price of the disc. Hubbard produced the "Miles From Here", and seems to have done an excellent job. On the acoustic tracks especially, the sound is crisp with all of the instruments coming across distinctly.

"Miles From Here" is an amazing FIRST ALBUM. When you listen to it, remember that this is Macon Greyson's first CD! The band has another disc in the works and it should be released in a few months. As I've told Buddy, "Miles From Here" immediately went into the case reserved for discs that I listen to "for me". As Buddy Huffman matures as a writer and performer, we can expect even greater things from Macon Greyson

Be sure to check out the band's excellent web site at:

www.macongreyson.com

 
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