It isn’t easy to get a bead on Charlie Overbey. He’s a rock and roll singer who veers from punk to country and claims they all merge at the root, Maybe. However, that overlooks the critical differences in their cultural contexts. There are significant distinctions between, say, Sid Vicious singing “My Way” and Frank Sinatra‘s version or Faith Hill crooning “Piece of My Heart” and Janis Joplin‘s take (not to mention Erma Franklin’s) in terms of what’s being expressed. So when Overbey proclaims that he’s a “punk rock spy in the house of the honky tonk heaven” on the opening track of his latest release, In Good Company, his intent is unclear. The New Mexico resident by way of California seems more confused than explanative. Songs like this share more in common with the Rolling Stones circa 1970 than either punk or country.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Stones were at their best back then, and that’s as good as it gets. Overbey is best when he rocks out. The ten songs here seem to come from different musical planets. He takes a page ripped out of Waylon Jennings‘ songbook on Overbey’s original composition “Champagne Cocaine Cadillacs & Cash”, aided by South Carolina’s monster player Marcus King on electric guitar (and B3 organ). The lyrics suggest the singer has learned his lesson and can now resist temptation, while the instrumental groove implies how difficult that is.
“Innocence” is steeped in Bruce Springsteen-esque references from The River and Born in the USA era, complete with guest guitarist and E Street Band member Nils Lofgren playing electric guitar. The cut “Life of Rock and Roll” features Duane Betts on electric guitar for Charlie Overbey to sing over. These three songs and most of the others are purposely derivative. They are homages to past masters. The fact that Overbey employs guest stars to play lead electric guitars on these while the singer employs acoustic guitar accompaniment suggests that their style is more important than their substance. He doesn’t really have much to say. Overbey might have been better off doing straight covers of oldies but goodies than creating unoriginal originals. He’s a good enough vocalist to keep things interesting even if one has heard them before.
The more country-sounding tracks, like “Miss Me”, which features Sarah Gayle Meech on vocals and Jon Graboff on pedal steel, and “If We Ever Get Out” with Blackberry Smoke‘s Charlie Starr on electric guitar and vocals, encourage Overbey to emote. This can be too affected. The songs are more fun on a surface level because we don’t believe he’s sincere. The rock tracks work better as melodrama because the instrumentation is purposely heavy.
In Good Company is aptly named because of the talents of the guest performers. Also worth mentioning is Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffe, who plays on two cuts, as well as backup vocalists Jaime Wyatt, Taime Downe, Eddie Spaghetti, and other lesser-known but talented entities on various instruments. While Overbey is front and center as a singer, he never sings acapella. The record has more of a band feel, even with different players on various cuts. Charlie Overbey is, as the title says, in good company.