Malcolm Holcombe’s latest CD “I Never Heard You Knockin’” is like a charcoal drawing of emotional landscapes executed by a well picked guitar and a voice that is a combination of John Hiatt and Greg Brown with lyrics that have that twang of country loneliness. When you check out Malcolm’s website you’ll see that he’s a pretty accomplished songwriter and has played alongside some of the great names in the biz like Merle Haggard, Richard Thompson, just to name a few. You can certainly hear the various influences in Malcolm music, but there is definitely a flavor there that is all his own.
This is a disk of just a man and his guitar, no extra hoo-ha to muddy up the waters. This is a song cycle that tells of a man who is at a certain point in his life doing what he needs to do because that’s what he does.
old friends grow old and hard / like mangy barkin’ dogs / old friends know who you are / not who you’re thinkin’ of
I love hearing honest songs and voices that spell out an honesty that doesn’t come via some contest or the popular vote from cell phones. Each song on this disk rasps away at the veneer of unreality that we like to think of as our lives and lets us in on what really is.
who’s gonna love me when I’m old / cook my supper an’ sweep the floor / I’m a one of a kind a jealous soul / spoiled rotten ready for more
There’s nothing that I can say that will get you ready for Malcolm’s voice. It is that rasp that I spoke of and it is the tool that will open your soul. This CD is definitely worth the price you will pay. Highly recommended.
~Darryl
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