Drayton Farley: A Hard Up Life
At first listen of Drayton Farley’s new album, A Hard Up Life, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between his voice and Tyler Childers. However, don’t stop there and dismiss him as nothing more than a mimic, as you’d be missing out on one of the best albums so far of 2021. An Alabama native, Farley has experienced his share of sadness, which, as we all know, is great fodder for songwriting: A well-paying job with the railroad that left him depressed and alone in cities far from his new bride, a childhood spent growing up in a dying town. With experiences like these, you can’t help but listen to the honesty and heartache in his words. A Hard Up Life, is just that -- an album dedicated to the working man and his daily struggles. Fourteen songs cover a range of tough subjects like addiction, a life you can’t escape from, dead-end jobs and poverty, but it’s not all sad songs. There are songs like “Atmosphere” and “Dear, Haven,” that even out the rest of the record with their sweet undertones.
Imagine a dark and somber version of Merle Haggard’s, “Working Man Blues,” and you’ll have the song, “Blue Collar.” The wavering voice of Farley from the first line sets the mood for the song.
“There’s a job, I’ve been working
And pays it just me enough
to fuck me up and bring down
just like a house of cards”
How many of us have lived this? A job we hated, just to barely scrape by each month. Somehow the fabled American dream isn’t accessible to all of us and Farley mentions that within the song.
“Cause I’m as blue, as my collar
It’s who I am, it’s where I’m from
Way down South
Where the lowest of the lows are damned”
The repeated refrain of “I wonder if I’m living or if I’m just alive,” might possibly be the best lyrics of the entire album. The song as a whole feels simple, but at the same time, still says a lot -- a testament to the well-crafted lyrics that Farley wove throughout the song.
“Pitchin’ Fits” might be my favorite track off the album. The aggressively loud strumming of Farley’s guitar perfectly matches with the earnest tone of the beginning of the song.
“Tell me, can you save me
I think I’m falling sick
I have grown to be angry
And I just can’t call it quits”
A love song of sorts, although perhaps not obvious in the beginning. You’ve got to pause and listen to the lyrics to realize that fact. I’m sick, I’m scared, but can you save me, protect me and reassure me that everything is going to be ok? Who hasn’t felt like that at least once with a lover? Farley’s voice really shines on this song, as it showcases his vocal range more so than in other tracks on the album.
If you want a song that’s going to make you think, then give “Atmosphere” a listen. It’s an interesting interpretation on life and how we come to be. It’s from the perspective of a new soul that just came to Earth and follows him on his journey through life thus far. He’s been here for 25 years and is just getting started in finding himself. However, he has found love, being both a partner and a father.
“But I’ve found a few good reasons
That help me hang around
One has her mama’s smile
And the other has my heart
We’re walking around down here
Just trying to play our part”
They always say to write what you know and Drayton Farley has done just that and done it well. Each song on A Hard Up Life is believable and relatable in some way, whether you’ve worked a blue-collar job in your life or not. You don’t have to be from a dying town in the south to understand where Farley is coming from or to simply appreciate this album. There are little parts in each song that you can take away as a shared experience or find relatable. I love when you feel like you get to listen to a true piece of an artist and their background and that is exactly the feeling this album gives me.
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