I don’t often encounter the term “potters field” in a song, but when I do it makes me sit up and listen. What John Eason has painted in “Helen, Go Home” is a bleak piece of American gothic art. It’s the kind of tragic story song that’s such a difficult needle to thread, but Eason not only manages it but makes it seem effortless. His voice is, as always, gruff yet sweet and smooth as molasses. It’s the kind of voice that could sing any mediocre nonsense and still sound stellar doing it. But John Eason is not the kind of artist that just coasts by on a velvet voice and charm; no, he matches his native ability to sing with superior songcraft and the result is stunning. The vivid imagery of addiction and southern grime is like a faded Polaroid made into a sonic landscape. It’s as if Stapleton were singing a Johnny Cash song. This is one for fans of either aforementioned artist, and any fan of dark, brooding poetry of the highest caliber.
"Helen, Go Home" is out NOW on all streaming platforms.
