STEVEN WINE
Associated Press
Brad Colerick, “Tucson” (Back 9 Records)
Brad Colerick opens his fourth solo album with the title cut, which reminds us the road does not actually go on forever. Colerick goes on to examine his trip down that road in tuneful tunes with a touch of twang.
Colerick’s stories are worth hearing, in part because he makes singing sound so easy. His warm, sunny, homey tenor brings alive the characters, places and relationships in these 11 songs. Guitars, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and pedal steel reinforce the folksy mood.
Colerick grew up in Nebraska, lives in California and recorded the album in Arkansas, so it’s no surprise his subject matter covers lots of ground. On “Hob Thrasher,” a nonagenarian musician shows how to make the best of airport delays. “This Is What I Do (Mighty Keeper)” celebrates everyone’s lot in life, however modest. There are also love songs happy and sad, reflections on a friend’s death, and a ballad to mom. The set closes, fittingly, with “Roll On.”
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