Wayne Hancock

Wayne Hancock isn't one of those alt-country stars to whom roots-music fans turn for the red-blooded emotion so many tin-eared grouches insist is missing from Nashville-produced radio fodder. On A-Town Blues, Hancock's most recent studio album, Wayne "The Train" Hancock sings, "I'm sorry, darlin', that I hurt you so/I don't...

By Mikael Wood

May 20, 2004

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Wayne Hancock isn't one of those alt-country stars to whom roots-music fans turn for the red-blooded emotion so many tin-eared grouches insist is missing from Nashville-produced radio fodder. On A-Town Blues, Hancock's most recent studio album, Wayne "The Train" Hancock sings, "I'm sorry, darlin', that I hurt you so/I don't wanna hear you cry, so I'll just tell you goodbye"; I believe him--a weeping-willow slide guitar underlines the sentiment--but I've also gotten more warmth from a Radiohead record. Instead, what Hancock offers is a preservationist pastiche of outmoded country styles that doesn't eschew the lifelike dynamism so many museum pieces do. Hancock calls his tasty microbrew "juke joint swing," a handle I have no problem accepting. He starts from a foundation of traditional Bob Wills-style Western swing, but piles up all kinds of stuff on top: hard-edged honky-tonk guitar, big-band brass reports, jazz-club bass grooves. On Thursday the Silverleaf will most likely be rocking. Definitely bother knocking.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.