''Mescalito'' is the first studio album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

country rock singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham, released in 2007 through

Lost Highway Records Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records Nas ...

and produced by

Marc Ford Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

Production

The album was released after three self-produced albums by Bingham and his band, the Dead Horses. Some of the tracks in ''Mescalito'', such as "South Side of Heaven" (the main single from the album) and "Long Way From Georgia" were taken from the Dead Horses albums (specifically, from ''Wishbone Saloon''). The album encompasses several traditional American and Mexican styles, including bluegrass, country rock,

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar specula ...

, blues,

americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

and mariachi ("Boracho Station").Review at ''About the Music''
/ref> ''Mescalito'' was produced by guitarist

(of

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fame) and features several prominent artists of the country and southern rock scene, such as Terry Allen (who makes a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in "Ghost of Travelin' Jones"), Joe Ely, and Marc Ford himself, who plays

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

in "The Other Side" and "Bread and Water" and slide guitar in "Hard Times". A different version of "The Other Side" was also included in Marc Ford's album '' Weary and Wired''.

Reception

The album was generally well received by critics, who praised Bingham's songwriting as well as the expressiveness of his voice, that was compared to those of

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

and Steve Earle, although some described Bingham's style as too manieristicReview at Allmusic
/ref> and monotonous.
/ref> Besides Earle and Allen, Rolling Stones,

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

, Bruce Springsteen and

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

have been cited as obvious influences in Bingham's work. The main single "Southside of Heaven" was well received commercially, and was included in the score of an episode of the '' E.R.'' TV series.

Track listing

# "Southside of Heaven" – 6:19 # "The Other Side" – 2:11 # "Bread and Water" – 4:08 # "Don't Wait For Me" – 4:56 # "Boracho Station" – 2:03 # "Sunshine" – 4:20 # "Ghost of Travelin' Jones" – 4:09 # "Hard Times" – 4:38 # "Dollar a Day" – 2:11 # "Take It Easy Mama" – 3:03 # "Long Way From Georgia" – 3:54 # "Ever Wonder Why" - 4:59 # "Sunrise" - 4:45 # "For What It's Worth" - 13:58

Credits

* Jeb Venable - Bass * Bukka Allen - Accordion * Joe Allen - Bass * Terry Allen - Piano, Vocals ("Ghost of Travelin' Jones") * Anthony "Antoine" Arvizu - Tambourine, Producer, Engineer, Mixing * Kevin Bartley - Mastering * John Bazz - Bass (Upright) * Melanie Bellomo - Cover Photo * Ryan Bingham - Guitar (Acoustic), Harmonica, Vocals, Vocals (background), Handclapping, Slide Guitar, Shaker, Author, Foot Stomping * Stéphane Bossard - Banjo * Brent Bowers - Artist Coordination * Kim Buie - A&R * Jason Carter - Fiddle *

Boyd Elder Harold Boyd Elder (January 12, 1944 – October 6, 2018), was an American artist. Born in El Paso, Elder was raised by Hal Elder and Billye Lee Bell Elder with brothers Kenneth Mack Elder and Howard Stanton Elder. Boyd Elder studied at Burges Hig ...

- Illustrations * David Ferguson - Engineer * Marc Ford - Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar (Electric), Organ (Hammond), Tambourine, Producer, Slide Guitar, Shaker, Mixing, Lap Steel Guitar, Hi Hat, Papoose * Jon Gries - Photography * Lucas Hoge - Producer * Coy Koehler - Photography * David Krepinevich - Assistant Engineer * Jeff Lightning Lewis - Assistant Engineer * Rick Lonow - Percussion, Drums * Mike Malone - Piano, Organ (Hammond) * Carlton Moody - Producer * Doug Moreland - Fiddle * Karen Naff - Design * Corby Schaub - Mandolin, Guitar (Electric), Vocals (background), Handclapping, Foot Stomping, Kettle Drums * Matt Smith - Percussion, Drums * Brian Standefer - Cello, Engineer * Mike Starr - Fiddle, Slide Guitar

Music videos

(Directed/ Produced by Anna Axster)
(Directed/ Produced by Anna Axster)

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Ryan Bingham albums Lost Highway Records albums