Search - Stoll Vaughan :: Love Like a Mule

Dylan meets Van Zandt meets Knopfler meets Mellancamp

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 11/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's no denying Dylan's influence here, particularly in the wordiness and rolling-thunder rhythm of the opening "Alright." But Dylan's more a musical genre than a specific figure, and though Vaughan's verbal punctuation derives straight from the Bard, his voice is huskier and bluesier than Dylan's nasal whine. Much like Dylan's Wallflower-leading son, Jakob, Vaughan is second-generation comfortable mixing rock, pop, country and blues, and the result is more seamless than the transitional works of the elder Dylan.



Vaughan writes narrative, but still quite elliptically; he invests in the sounds and rhythms of words, blending lyric with melody like Townes Van Zandt. The road-weary "Fade Away" provides sketches of scenery in a voice reminiscent of Mark Knopfler, and the chorus of "Savior" rests on the melodic and rhythmic ghosts of Dylan's "Baby Blue." Mike Wanchic's production is full of the acoustic/electric guitar mix he's provided for John Mellencamp (here played by Vaughan and Carl Broemel) with hearty portions of both Wurlitizer and Hammond B3.



The Dylan influence may cause some to write off this sophomore release as imitative, but particularly on ballads like "Seen Moments" and "Head Above the Wheel," Vaughan liberates his delivery. Same for the swampy title track, with its seductive blues underpinnings and whispery growl of a vocal. Fans of Springsteen, Mellencamp, The Wallflowers, and of course, Bob Dylan, should check this out! [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"

Pretty good

M. Nix | Louisville, KY. | 01/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I used to hear this guy around town when I lived in Lexington. I thought it was average. The songs that I heard where produced by a local guy named Otto, pretty bad AM-era Wilco sound really but I could tell the direction that he was going. This cd is much better, I found it online and downloaded it, oh but I promise I'll really buy it one day;) As bad as this review might sound, I dig his style and sound, and having My Morning Jacket personnel helps with the credibility. Hey Stoll, if you need a guitarist I'm available."