monoblogue music: “A Scandal In The Violets” by Michael Leonard Witham

Sometimes there’s a mood for songs which tell a somewhat rambling story, with twists and turns behind every corner. In listening to the ten tracks which make up Michael Leonard Witham’s forthcoming debut release “A Scandal In The Violets” it’s apparent that Witham is working in that storytelling vein, using a sound which veers between weepy classic country to more of a country-rock or classic acoustic feeling.

To hear him tell it, Witham is far from classically trained – he found an old, broken guitar sitting on a Louisiana dumpster, repaired it, taught himself to play it, and just a few months later:

In early 2011, a mere 5 months after the pivotal dumpster dive, he was chosen as one of a handful of artists to perform in the Arkansas Times Musician’s Showcase, an annual music event in central Arkansas which features the best talent in the region. Over 200 bands submitted music, and Witham was the only solo performer selected on the strength of his home recordings made in a closet with an iphone.

That is the legend, so how is the finished product?

As I said up top, the ten songs on the album tell a story, and some have great titles: the opening track Sorry Girl But The Show Is Over, Sideways Grin & A Wandering Eye, Last Plea To Ashley Ann, and my personal favorite The Good Doctor’s Double Vodka Blues. The country influence comes out most in Down For Good and Ordinary Hand, where Witham laments that he had an “extraordinary hand” but “played it wrong from the get-go.”

There’s more of a Dylanesque sound to some songs thanks to the harmonica, like Oh The Evil!!! or Where The Witches Live, while Miss L.A. is perhaps the one edging most toward country-rock.

Another take I received from listening is that Witham “fills” his songs with lyrical content. Most of the songs don’t have a bridge in the middle, although I noticed a short one in Defective Heart. At times he would use a long instrumental coda, though, such as in Sideways Grin or Double Vodka Blues.

But the one thing a listener will notice from the beginning is Witham’s voice. At times I found it a little cloying, and for many it could be an acquired taste. I don’t think Michael would get very far on “American Idol” because his is not a typical singing voice with lots of range, yet for the most part his songs have an honest quality about them which may not work with the more mainstream generic pop or country star singing them. It’s a hint of weariness and desperation which comes through in the vocal styling.

Normally I tell people what I think but invite them to listen for themselves. But because this is a forthcoming release, I got to listen to the whole thing but only a couple tracks are set for public consumption – a teaser, if you will. Still, the two tracks – Sorry Girl But The Show Is Over and Oh The Evil!!! – do provide a very good sample of what Witham is about. So listen to that sampler for yourself and, if you’re still enjoying it come the scheduled release date of October 21, rest assured the rest is something you’ll like as well.