Music Review: Darrell Scott, Modern Hymns

By Steve Morley

By definition, a hymn is a song of praise that is generally, though not necessarily, directed to God. But because music is encountered at such a personal level, not everyone would agree about exactly what makes a song spiritual—a fact that Nashville-based singer/songwriter Darrell Scott brings to light on his album Modern Hymns. Drawing from revered writers including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell, Scott sets out to demonstrate how an intelligently written and emotionally probing song can unveil essential truths about human nature and touch the spirit in the process.

Joni Mitchell’s introspective “Urge for Going”—which Scott and company invigorate with a hoedown tempo—ingeniously observes the arrival of the first frost. After winter’s chill chases away leaves, lovers and geese, a snowbound Mitchell notes that even the seasons themselves share the restlessness common to all living things. (“I'll ply the fire with kindling now, I'll pull the blankets up to my chin/ I'll lock the vagrant winter out and bolt my wandering in/ I'd like to call back summertime and have her stay for just another month or so/ But she's got the urge for going and I guess she'll have to go.”)

The album’s high-class bluegrass arrangements and guest appearances from Nashville’s Americana music community refresh the predominantly early ’70s compositions Scott tackles. Taken as a whole, the thematically diverse album succeeds at showing how a solid message can transcend its period of origin, as is the case with the hippie-era voice of Kris Kristofferson’s “Jesus Was a Capricorn.” While drawing connections between the abuse endured by both Jesus and the long-hairs of the mid-20th century, the track cuttingly reveals the allure of prejudice. (“Long hair, beard and sandals, and a funky bunch of friends/ Reckon they'd just nail him up if He come down again/ ’Cause everybody's got to have somebody to look down on/ Who they can feel better than at anytime they please/ Someone doin' somethin' dirty decent folks can frown on/ If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me.”)

John Hartford’s “Nobody Eats at Linebaugh’s Anymore” depicts a deteriorating Nashville in the 1970s, when the Grand Ole Opry had been moved from its downtown location to a suburban theme park, in the name of progress and profit. But anyone who laments the resulting loss of history and community or longs for the sincerity of pre-1960s country music will understand the meaning of Hartford’s insider lyric. (“Where can you go to see the country music stars?/ Sittin’ drinkin’ coffee until four/ Shoney’s closed at nine o’clock, there’s nothing left to do/ Nobody eats at Linebaugh’s anymore.”)

The theme explored in this song offers particular insight into the concept behind Modern Hymns. Well-crafted, substantial numbers like these songs, compared to common radio fodder, deserve an elevated status for remaining relevant and aspiring to something higher than casual entertainment—qualities also associated with hymns, and ones in danger of losing their value to a culture concerned only with what’s new and easily consumed. If there’s a biblical precedent, it might be Psalm 42’s observation that deep calls unto deep. Selections like the tragic death ballad “Out Among the Stars” resonate powerfully with universal human failings, while others, such as Paul Simon’s wistful “American Tune,” reflect the disappointment, weariness and tentative hope deeply felt in present-day America. If it’s comfort or God-inspired reverence you’re after, head for the old hymnal. But if you’re a fan of acoustic music who likes having your heart stirred and your mind stimulated, you‘ll find Modern Hymns worthy of both consideration and praise.

Audio Clips

"Urge for Going"

"Out Among the Stars"

"Jesus Was a Capricorn"

"American Tune"