""In A Dress" is the last song on Broken Homes and Gardens, the final album Michael Hurley made before he passed away on April 1. Making that particular track-future posthumous releases notwithstanding-the conclusion of one of the great recording careers of the past century. A strong argument for outsider folk and fierce independence, and the indelible period at the end of Hurley's endlessly fascinating artistic story."
""In A Dress" wasn't written by Michael Hurley, a songwriter revered by songwriters far and wide. It was written by a guy named Kenny Roby, who lives in North Carolina. Roby is not a household name-nor was Hurley, to be fair-but he is a well-respected musician who has been making sturdy, soulful roots-rock records since the mid-1990s, sometimes with his band, 6 String Drag. "In A Dress" is the third track on his first solo album Mercury's Blues, released back in 1999."
"Hurley's version is typically heartfelt and rough-hewn, with Luke Ydstie's bowed bass lurching back and forth behind his weathered singing voice and imperfectly plucked acoustic guitar. The "solo" is played by Hurley, using his mouth to mimic the sound of a trumpet, and the performance was recorded at "a kegger" years ago, according to No Quarter Records. You can hear what sounds like a half-dozen people clapping politely when it's over."
Michael Hurley died on April 1 after setting the track order for Broken Homes and Gardens on March 21 and playing final shows in Tennessee and North Carolina. No Quarter Records is releasing the album. The closing track, "In A Dress," was written by North Carolina musician Kenny Roby and originally appeared on his 1999 solo album Mercury's Blues. Hurley's cover features Luke Ydstie's bowed bass, Hurley's weathered vocals and improvised mouth-trumpet solo recorded at "a kegger." The recording captures audience applause. Hurley's career is characterized by outsider folk sensibilities and fierce independence.
Read at Portland Mercury
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