For better and (mostly) worse, "americana" is an almost useless musical descriptor. I know what it meant thirty years ago (yes, some folks were using it then), and I know that it means everything and nothing now. It is only marginally more descriptive than "singer-songwriter" (which I totally refuse to use). Chuck Hawthorne plays that sparse, vaguely folky, slide guitar-laden Americana that hearkens back to the olden days.

Chuck Hawthorne Fire Out of Stone (self-released)

We used to call this country, back before Shania and such. But it didn't fit there. And it's not folk music--not really. And yes, Hawthorne writes most of his own songs, but like I said, I just can't bring myself to use S-S. Music out of time. Music that never really did have its own time.

Hawthorne is quite comfortable singing and talk-singing. His voice has a soft-edged strength that, again, evokes a bit of a folk feel. But his acoustic guitar work is pretty much basic rock and roll (played much slower, kind of like Bruce Springsteen's more folk-ish work) and that slide guitar. As someone who went to high school in eastern New Mexico, I'd say this has a real west Texas feel. There's a lot of high lonesome going on. And he does have a song called "Amarillo Wind," so maybe this east Texas singer is trying to evoke the spirit of the Llano.

Most quiet albums sound loose and unfocused to me. Hawthorne's songs are just the opposite. His intensity burns through, and at no point does this album drag. Don't be fooled by the low dynamics. There's plenty of fire here.

Jon Worley