Search - James Talley :: Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got A Lot of Love

Portrait of Artist as a Young Man

David Collins | 07/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 30th anniversary release of singer/songwriter James Talley's "Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Whole Lot of Love" is far more than a nostalgic event - though it is certainly that. This release provides a whole new generation access to a truly important piece of art.



For old fans of James Talley, this collection of songs (aka "album") needs no commentary from me. I offer these thoughts to those who may not know of Talley's art, or have discovered it long after the release of this album in 1976.



First, it is well that we note the era. It was at this time that singer/song writers like Jimmy Buffett, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson and many others were breaking the bonds and traditions of Nashville C&W, exploring new forms, both in their poetry and music. The album "No Bread" is as fine an example of this experimentation by a serious artist as any available.



The range of styles and influences packed into this collection of 11 original works spans much of the possible. From the country blues influenced Mehan, Oklahoma, to the pure Nashville country of "No Opener Needed", the country swing of "W. Lee O'Daniel", classic western of Red River Memory" or melancholy ballad style so well represented by "Take Me to the Country", Talley demonstrates an intuitive feel that allows him to explore new combinations of form that would provide a foundation for his art - and that of many other performers - for 30 years to come.



Talley is a poet of the first water. He describes himself as a teller of stories and I think that is an apt characterization. Each of these poems-set-to-music tell a story and each story is a slice of life as experienced by darn near everyone who works for a living.



In this album, Talley is clearly interested in history and roots. The opening song, "W. Lee O' Daniels and the Light Crust Dough Boys" provides a clear window on a time gone by when the musical influences of western and jazz collided in the dance halls and emporiums of the depression era. Then there is "Give Him Another Bottle", an up tempo depiction of a man whose way of life was dying before his eyes as the era of the steam locomotive came to an end. In true Talley form, with a sincere appreciation of what the life of working women and men is like, we are called on to be understanding of this man's plight and give him another bottle to help easy his mind.



In several of these songs Talley shows his artistic insight as he explores things passing, like the trains, rural life and the ways of an earlier, seemingly simpler age. Of course, this was a topic of much interest to his peers of the time. As Talley was writing "Give Him Another Bottle" Jimmy Buffett was writing about the passing of trains in his and Jerry Jeff Walker's "Railroad Lady" and Guy Clark was thinking about the passing of the steam engine as he wrote "Texas - 1947".



Looking back across the 30 years, considering this work by a young and exceptionally talented artist (whose art has continued to grow and mature with the passing of those years), I am struck by the durability of lyrics and music. Only one tune on this album, actually one of my favorites because of the classic double entandre in the title and refrain "No Opener Needed", requires knowledge of the time in which it was written - the advent of the first "Pop Top" beers cans when the advertisement "No Opener Needed" was printed on each can of brew. That kind of durability only emerges from a talent with deep roots and genuine compassion for the human condition as experienced by working folks.



James Talley is such an artist.





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