David Ball "Thinkin' Problem" (Warner Brothers, 1994)
(Produced by Blake Chancey)
A true-country neo-trad throwback album, full of good, strong, heartbroken honky-tonk tunes. Nice, solidly structured, well written stuff... reminds me of Gary Stewart, with more than just a little whiff of George Jones in the mix as well... Ball scored big on his major label debut, hitting #2 on the charts with the title track, "Thinking Problem," a self-penned novelty song that put him on the map, along with platinum album sales. Even though his next big hit was a long time coming, the guy sure made a big splash. This is a great record, though... Recommended!
David Ball "David Ball" (RCA, 1994)
(Produced by Billy Williams & Bill Halverson)
Although this came out in '94, the tracks were from sessions Ball recorded in the late '80s when he was signed to RCA... A few singles came out but nothing really sizzled and the record got shelved... Well, at least until Thinkin' Problem came out and Ball was suddenly a hot property.
David Ball "Starlight Lounge" (Warner Brothers, 1996)
David Ball "Play" (Warner Brothers, 1999)
David Ball "Amigo" (Dual Tone Records, 2001)
(Produced by Wood Newton)
An old-fashioned craftsman of bright, poppy honkytonk tunes, David Ball brings to mind Lyle Lovett, with his catchy, easygoing style of slightly-rockin', slightly-bluesy Texas shuffles. There's also a trace of Jimmy Buffett (and I mean that in a good way!) with his laid-back approach, and occasional dips into tropical-themed material (such as "She Always Talked About Mexico"). This is a fun album, with some wonderfully shameless novelty material (for example, a bar that is "Loser Friendly", and -- in his big Top 40 hit -- the super-retro patriotic twist on the old "Teen Angel" car crash epics, "Riding With Private Malone," where a guy buys a car with the ghostly former owner -- an MIA Vietnam veteran -- acting as its guardian angel...) The timing was just right, too: "Private Malone" had a nice, subtle patriotic theme which really resonated with country fans after the tragedy of 9/11. A nice, solid album -- slick, but worth checking out.
David Ball "Freewheeler" (Wildcatter Records, 2004)
David Ball "Heartaches By The Number" (Shanachie Records, 2007)
Like other hitmakers who have recently been cast aside, David Ball is a former Nashville headliner who's gone indie -- I guess it's just easier that way -- and here he's rolled out an affectionate love-letter to good, old-fashioned hard country, singin' oldies from Bob Wills, Harlan Howard, Carl Belew, Hank Locklin and Webb Pierce. Sounds good to me. Ball, who's a mighty fine songwriter himself, contributes "Please Feed The Jukebox," and sings it all with sincerity, authority and depth. In a sense, it's too bad he's cut off from the Nashville wall'o'sound, since his thin, somewhat plain voice actually did benefit from heavy production in a way that many singers do not. But this bare-bones set is an affirmation of faith, and Ball is clearly a singer who knows the way. Fans will be happy, and eager for more.
David Ball "Sparkle City" (E1 Records, 2010)
David Ball & The Pioneer Playboys "The Greatest Christmas" (2011)
David Ball "Come See Me" (Public Records, 2018)
Starting out in South Carolina's legendarily eclectic Uncle Walt's Band, honkytonker David Ball became part of the Austin outlaw-indie scene in the 1970s; in the following decade he moved to Nashville and made a go at a commercial career. It took a while for things to work out: his first album didn't come out until 1994 though he scored two #2 hits, including the haunting "Riding With Private Malone," which became one of the early anthems of the post-9/11 era. An excellent hard-country singer, Ball has consistently created first-rate independent and mainstream twang... Here's a quick look at his career...
