The fortune referred to by this exemplar of gritty Americana is of the “wheel of . . . ” variety.
Rod Picott is interested in chance, though there are few easy winners in his world – "I can make it on my own here/You won't hear me complain/Just quit pissin' on my leg/And telling me it's rain" (Until I'm Satisfied).
While Picott can write a mean melody, words are his calling card.
And they come in several tones via his lived-in voice: the personal ballad laced with licked wounds and wisdom painfully gained (Secret Heart, Maybe That's What It Takes) and the dirty realism worldview (Jeremiah, Spare Change, This World Is a Dangerous Place, the latter co-written with Irish songwriter Ben Glover).
Fans of Tom Waits will hear his influence, and the stripped-back granular sound affords no soft comfort.
But Picott’s vivid honesty and insight remain utterly compelling.
