About Me
Listening to some of Phil Lee's wild yarns you'd think he was the offspring of Calamity Jane and Rumplestiltskin. Born in Durham, NC, Lee made his way to NYC in 1971, lived in Los Angeles for a while and finally settled in Nashville a few years ago, collecting adventures enough to fill a dozen albums with "mostly true" tales. After all, he says, " the statute of limitations hasn't run out on some things".
This is country music with a rock and roll heart. When Lee sings about his past you can hear a tinge of, not exactly regret, or even shame, but hard-earned wisdom. True, some of it had to be knocked in, sometimes more than once. "The last fight I had, I was winning. I had the guy pinned to the ground and then he said 'I've had about enough ot this' and he ended up breaking my collarbone. He was real nice about it though. He drove me to the hospital".
Phil Lee is a hoot. So is his rollicking country roadhouse barrelhouse of a second album. With You Should Have Known Me Then (produced by Richard Bennett, also handling guitar chores) he treats the legendary sophomore jinx the way he probably treated the speed limit during his long haul trucking days; he don't pay it no never mind. Along for the ride this time are special guests Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Allison Moorer, members of Wilco, and Billy Joe Royal.
Lee released his debut The Mighty King Of Love in 2000 when he was 49. That's about when other rockers start to lose their grip and think about retirement. In the title cut on the new release he sings "You should have known me when I had all my teeth," but Lee consistently proves that while the old dog may be getting gray, he's still got plenty of bite. More than a few times you'll think, "Did he really say that? Well yeah, he did. That might be why he can shock both the country establishment on one hand and supposedly iconoclastic rockers, on the other.
Songs like "Carl's Got Louise" and "You Should Have Known Me Then" (in which he mentions some shady activities he undertook in his errant past) aren't going to please the uptight, but they'll sure put a smile in the heart of anybody who will unclench long enough to enjoy them.
A masterful songwriter, Lee's work reflects impressions made on him by everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Howlin' Wolf to Arthur Alexander and the Mersey Beat sound of the British Invasion of the 1960's. His road-worn voice, clever wordplay and skilled harmonica work will rightfully bring Bob Dylan (a major influence) to mind but even though, as Phil says, "if it sounds like something, that's on purpose" he is his own man. His unique, uncompromising and sometimes surprisingly moving tunes are 100% Phil Lee.
Welch and Rawlings lend vocal support to "Three Faces In The Window," a sympathetic but decidedly un-maudlin social tale, and Moorer sings with Lee on the spectacular "It's Crying" which, along with "Babylon" ("my kinda town") could have come from any of the best of the British groups if they'd recorded in Nashville.
You Should Have Known Me Then also features the highly compatible teaming of Lee with Wilco's Jay Bennett and John Stirratt for "Babylon". Bandmate Ken Commer joins the mix on "Just Some Girl" and the Pride of Marrietta, GA, Billy Joe Royal, (best known for his '60s hit "Down in the Boondocks") lends back-up vocal to the starkly honest "Don't Make It Any harder Than It Is".
Phil Lee's an inspriration to every picker who had to or still is working a straight gig and maybe supporting a family while trying to live out their dreams as the calendar pages go flipping by. He's one of a kind and maybe that's a good thing. Civilization as we know it may not be able to handle two Phil Lees, but real music lovers and lovers of real music will know the one we've got for the rip-snortin" gem that he is. Put away the good china (and the cutlery) and get ready for a hoot. Phil Lee's in the house.
