Ernest Troost
If the Carter Family, Robbie Robertson, and Alfred Hitchcock wrote songs together they might sound like this:
“Wow.... Lyrically, he’s going to knock you flat with one punch. Killer stuff throughout, this is the work of an undeniable talent taking it to the next level of the game. You just might not hear Americana the same way again after you take a byte of this. Easily one of the best ‘folk’ albums to come out this year.... Check it out.” ★Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Ernest Troost is an Emmy-winning film and television composer as well as a recipient of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk award for his songwriting. He also composed and produced two award-winning albums of songs for Judy Collins using the words of Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, Gertrude Stein, and others. Los Angeles-based Troost’s scores for films include the cult classic Tremors and HBO’s award-winning Lesson Before Dying. In Troost’s stunning new album, O LOVE, he turns his attention to love songs, and by adding electric guitar and drums to his well-known folk and Piedmont stylings, he’s created his most powerfully dramatic album to date. From the tortured father/son relationship of “Old Screen Door” or the fragmented images of “O Love” to the simple grace of “Close,” Troost’s songs linger in your mind like a loving memory or a terrifying nightmare. As always, Troost’s songs are rooted in character, situation, and narrative and are adroitly layered to present what FolkWorks called “a broad and colorful canvas of Americana.” A fine example of the darker side explored on this record is the hard-rockin’ “Old Screen Door,” where Troost sings, “There was blood on the handrail and some on the floor/This house was my home, but it ain’t no more.” Yet, all’s right with the world in “All I Ever Wanted,” where he sings, “I spoke in tongues at an old revival show/I chased the devil down where no one else would go/There ain’t nothin’ else I crave, whether I’m lost or whether I’m saved/’Cause all I ever wanted was you.” Here’s a collection of love songs that will draw you in and ask you to reflect on love’s many guises.
“With ‘Old Screen Door,’ Troost opens with an affecting guitar lick and vocal that could easily carry the entire piece on its own. In less than a minute, however, the song is propelled by electric guitars and a driving rhythm section that would make Dave Alvin proud.... Part storyteller, part bluesman, Troost has given us a work that not only has variety, but also 13 stirring song portraits, each one artfully crafted in a way that is always in service to the song.” ★ Jim Lipson, Tucson Weekly
“There’s not a better folksinger out there than Troost—he writes great songs with clever lyrics, plenty of hooks and he’s an astute guitar player—what else is there? Just this—Troost has a swell voice as well.... You can’t play this album too many times and you’ll be continually amazed with what a lot can be done with such modest trappings.” ★Bill Locey, Rock’n’Roll Call, Ventura County Star
“An honest, humane and ultimately heart-warming record from a fine artist.” ★Alex Ramon, Boycotting Trends, UK
“Troost’s style and subject matter recall Dylan, Dave Alvin, and (especially for his concentration on life’s darker side) Richard Thompson—enviable company indeed. Such comparisons are not lightly made: Every song here is a keeper.” ★Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue Magazine
“Horrifying images, like coughing pistols and kerosene-soaked clothing, create tactile pictures that pull the listener into the song. They are images that stay with you long after the experience of the song, beautiful stuff.” ★Pat Baker, DJ, Tangled Roots, KCSN
“Imagine a bayou-bred John Steinbeck taking up a fret board instead of a pen and you’ve pretty much got the picture.” ★Don Grant, Freight Train Boogie