Careless Hearts

Careless Hearts are an alt-country rock’n’twang band from the San Francisco Bay area. They remind me a bit of Old 97’s, although I’ve heard comparisons to Wilco and even The Band. The classic four piece line up of guitars bass and drums as well as three-piece vocal harmonies form the band’s sound. Most of the tunes were written by lead singer Paul Kimball. The songs range from more rockin’ tunes such as “Can’t Tell a Man” and “Ravenous” to the slower classic sounding country tune “Old Ways Die Slow” in which the singer wrestles with the difficulty of changing his ways, or maybe more accurately the acceptance that he won’t change. Of a barmaid at the pub he sings “She had a smolder in her eyes, I couldn’t make myself ignore. So I told her all the lies, I’d used so many times before. Old ways die slowly, assuming that they ever do..”

Another highlight of the CD is the reflective “Never to Return” where the singer tries to understand his own life and some of his actions. After his father walks out when he is three, he gets married at age 23. “I never thought I’d see a sunrise, without her there beside me, until I woke up May 14 of 1999. I looked at her sleeping form, cursed the day I was born, cursed my mama and my pa and walked out of the door.” This song really hit me at first. May 14, 1999 is MY Exact wedding day (Don’t worry Michelle, you’re stuck with me!) Two of my other favorite tunes are the previously mentioned “Can’t Tell a Man,” a rowdy roadhouse type tune that must sound great live, and the rocker “Ravenous.” All in all, Careless Hearts is a very enjoyable debut CD from a band I look forward to hearing more from in the future.