On his first two solo albums, 2006's
Too Much Love and 2007's
I'm Your Man,
Harlan T. Bobo dealt with the aftermath of a difficult romantic breakup, and with 2010's
Sucker, he sang of his successful efforts to win the heart of an adventurous woman from Europe. It turns out that happy marriage has come to an end, but if you're imagining this will mean a return to the sound and outlook of
Bobo's first two albums, you would be wrong. Apparently
Bobo's divorce was something less than amicable, and 2018's
A History of Violence is dark, bitter, and hard-edged in a way his music has never been before, not even in his punky side project the Fuzz.
Bobo's slightly smoky voice is little changed from his previous efforts, even when he pushes it hard, and there's still a wickedly baroque sense of detail and character in his songs. But for the most part, the tone of
A History of Violence is colored by anger and confusion as
Bobo sorts through his memories of what went wrong and his feelings as he makes his way through his own emotional wreckage. Plenty of
Bobo's bad vibes are directed at his ex, but "Storied" makes clear that he knows there's plenty of blame to go around, and sometimes his wrath seems directed at the entire world around him. Though there's a jagged clarity in these songs,
Bobo's backing band --
Jeff "Bunny" Dutton on guitar, Steve Selvidge on bass, Brendan Spengler on keys, and Jeffrey Bouck on drums -- is what really seals the deal on
A History of Violence, sounding taut and feral when the mood is poisonous but capable of gentler dynamics on numbers like "Wife." The musicians don't simply support
Bobo's chaotic emotions, they give them focus and direction, and if this doesn't play out in the manner of
Bobo's more measured work, it absolutely succeeds at what the artist has set out to achieve.
A History of Violence isn't always fun or easy to listen to, but it's a brave and uncompromising work, and a long recording layoff and personal difficulties have not dulled
Harlan T. Bobo's gifts. ~ Mark Deming