The Art of a Hal Ketchum Song

The one thing that sets the songwriting of this month's featured artist, Hal Ketchum, apart from some of his Nashville counterparts is depth and detail. Not content to express his art solely in his music, Ketchum is also known for his painting, sculpting and carpentry work, including a previous career as a cabinet maker. In this final article of our featured artist coverage we'll examine some of those spun yarns and the art behind a Hal Ketchum song.

A percentage of the songs that grace the nine albums he's released are in and of themselves intricate tales of love, life, and loss. The lyric seem to be done in the style of an old folk-classic but they are set to something more contemporary, even though they are very pure and unadulterated in sound. What isn't a spun-yarn is often a just as heartfelt show of love - a romantic ballad. In between the two are the up-tempo and fun tracks that round out an album. What they all have in common is the obvious care that went into crafting them.

On his newest release, One More Midnight, he abandons every rule of marketable music with "Poor Lila's Ghost." Twenty-six verses take the listener on a nearly fifteen minute journey of a man running from the law, his haunting memories, and himself. Though it has the sound and texture of a classic folk-blues song, there really isn't anything typical about the poetic structure and the extended format.

While the list of classic-rock extended anthems may be extensive, this is really the first time I've seen this sort of animal in this genre, but the result is breathtaking. It's hard to classify this track as song, though it is a beautifully eerie one. Soft almost-spoken lyrics begin to a bare-bones and acoustic accompaniment before everything opens up to something fuller and richer. It's an art to draw a listener in and keep them on a chair's edge wondering what's around the corner and what piece of the puzzle and story the next verse will bring, and that's exactly the experience you're in for when you listen to "Poor Lila's Ghost."

In that same folk vein is "Daddy's Oldsmobile" from the Sure Love album.
When this songs starts, with its light and airy acoustic guitar accompaniment, you think you're in for a countrified version of a classic car song. "My daddy bought this car before I was born/sure liked the radio, I loved the horn" but it quickly turns to something completely different when you learn the car has become a home for the down-and-out family.

Article Author: Connie Phillips

Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she's not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. …

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