BWW CD Reviews: GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY is Intensely Evocative

I have to admit, at first I thought I was being lied to when I was told that Stephen King and John Mellencamp collaborated on a musical. I mean, I love the musical CARRIE, but I've never thought of Stephen King writing as fodder for musicals. Needless to say, my curiosity was piqued. I simply couldn't hide my excitement about getting the opportunity to listen to the concept album-like soundtrack for GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY, a musical with a Book by Stephen King, Music and Lyrics by John Mellencamp, and Musical Direction by T Bone Burnett. With one listen, it was more than apparent that the bluesy, folk-rock music on the disc expertly captures Americana in a sinister and foreboding way.

GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY's plot was inspired by a true event that occurred decades ago on John Mellencamp's land in Indiana. He told Stephen King that his property had a cabin where two brothers had gotten into a fight over a girl. In the altercation, one brother accidently killed the other. The girl and surviving brother left for town, and they died in an automobile accident. Out of this, the duo crafted a story set in the fictionAl Small town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi. It tells the cautionary Southern Gothic tale of two sets of brothers-the ghosts of Jack and Andy, who died in an apparent murder/suicide, and their living nephews Frank and Drake, who's constant bickering and competition seem to be leading them down the same destructive path their uncles traversed. Joe, the surviving younger brother of Jack and Andy, gathers his family at the remote cabin so he can reveal his own terrible secret at the site of the tragedy.

John Mellencamp's resplendent score and lyrics are stylistically varied and intensely evocative. The score and lyrics rattle and resonate with an unnerving ambient air of fog-laden darkness, palpable tension, and exhilarating danger. Reviews of the musical's original run from April 4 to May 13, 2012 at Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE all speak highly of John Mellencamp's richly emotive score and lyrics, and upon listening to this album there is no denying that they are wonderfully extraordinary. The story of the musical spans 40 years, and John Mellencamp's score ingeniously includes the opulent diversity of the soundscapes that come from American blues, folk, and country from 1967 to 2007.

T Bone Burnett's old-fashioned radio play with music vision for this recording is best captured on the album's 35 track Deluxe Edition, which alternates between brief contextual dialogue and thrilling music tracks. The standard 17 track release excises the dialogue tracks, and only presents listeners with the stunning music, causing audiences to miss out on the rich storytelling that occurs between the musical numbers. Many of the songs in the production are character numbers that expose the psyche, persona, and internal monologues of the characters, so without the additional dialogue tracks the story of the musical will be hard to decipher. Regardless of which version listeners chose to purchase, T Bone Burnett's Musical Direction radiates from the gloomy disc with enthusiastic and striking precision. Each number is masterfully sung and echoes the resounding themes of love, lust, loss, betrayal, and jealousy.

As the protagonist patriarch of the crumbling family Joe, Kris Kristofferson lends tender and hopeful vocals to the character. His intellectual, insightful, and introspective soliloquy-lIke Ballads "How Many Days" and "What Kind Of Man Am I" are both poignant and powerful.

Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin phenomenally voice ghost brothers Jack and Andy with angst, anger, and rage. As feuding brothers, their bitterly caustic renditions of "So Goddam Smart" and "So Goddam Good" are distinctly provacative moments on the record.

With an impressive ethereal quality, Sheryl Crow is immaculate and brilliant as Jenna, the ghost of the woman the two ghost brothers fought over. She hauntingly glows with charisma on numbers like "So Goddam Smart," "Home Again," "You Are Blind," "And Your Days Are Gone," and "So Goddam Good." Her vocals are a true benison on every track she applies them to. Yet, her two solos, the rollicking honky-tonk jam "Junkin'" and the beautifully melancholic "Away From This World," are so cleanly and pristinely sung they are worth the price of the album alone. John Mellencamp graciously gave her two unparalleled numbers that casual listeners and fans will excitedly cling to for years to come.

Will Dailey and Ryan Bingham excellently sing Frank and Drake, the living, warring brothers. Their passionately loathing and biting "Brotherly Love" is a funky song with a tuneful melody that is entirely mesmerizing.

Joe's wife, Monique, is sumptuously and passionately sung by Rosanne Cash. Her rendition of "You Don't Know Me" is a striking and deeply moving ballad filled with rich heart and passion.

Most impressively, the songs on this collection are all stellar and captivating. Standout moments include Elvis Costello's devilishly sinister portrayal of The Shape on the rhythmic, catchy, and discomforting "That's Me." Likewise, Neko Case's carefree and bright singing voice for Anna shades the character with a free-spirited country tonality that sparkles on the liberating anthem "That's Who I Am." Furthermore, Clyde Mulroney is delightfully sweet and sincerely innocent on the heartwarming and light "My Name is Joe." Lastly, Taj Mahal is miraculously intimidating and chilling on the ominously malevolent "Tear This Cabin Down."

By the end of the opening number "That's Me," audiences will be under the enchanting spell of John Mellencamp's clever score and lyrics, making the journey through the rest of the disc all the more delightful and affecting. From start to finish, the entire disc plays into our desires for good storytelling and our lust for disturbing and ghastly tales of dark deeds and devious beings. While sometimes reminiscent of Duncan Sheik's jaunty and haunting WHISPER HOUSE, this concept seems to be more affective because of how empathically it embraces its invigorating and pervasive sense of jarringly despondent dread.

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Image courtesy of Concord Music Group.

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