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This fall Carll released his ninth album,\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0Only Human, an album in which each track addresses the growing pains of being alive with depth,\u00a0poetry\u00a0and humor.\u00a0\u00a0Though Carll has always\u00a0possessed\u00a0a real talent as a wordsmith,\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0Only Human delves even deeper into his own inner workings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis record just kind of stemmed from I keep running up against the same walls in life and not living with much ease or contentment as I would like and as I push 50, I think more and more about how to make whatever time comes from here more aligned with my art and my vision of how I would like life to go,\u201d says Carll.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a lot of time expecting myself to have it all figured out and getting frustrated and beating myself up for not having it figured it out,\u201d he says. \u201cIt took me a minute to recognize or remember that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not supposed to have it figured out.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not supposed to be perfect so just having some grace for myself there in this journey and it felt like a good starting point for refiguring anything going forward.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pushing a major milestone of a birthday, having a son\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0about to finish college and experiencing his second divorce pushed Carll to really challenge his own way of thinking about and approaching life and explore those concepts in his\u00a0art.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a time for me to reset and take stock so I started doing that work on a personal level and it found its way into my creative side and just became an interesting thing for me to write about navigating life and trying to do it to find some more peace and purpose.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re\u00a0Only Human rings with Carll\u2019s inner voice and a clear intention in his songwriting exploring the journey of man from the beginning of time to modern day. He describes making the album\u00a0as\u00a0the first time in his career that set out to\u00a0create with\u00a0a clear theme and boundaries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past I just wrote songs, some of them were personal, some story songs, some observational songs just being silly. This was the first time I ever set out with parameters for what I was trying to do\u00a0creatively\u00a0and it gave me license to try and be more honest,\u201d explains Carll.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a more internal record and so that was fun. That was my only prerequisite when I was\u00a0writing was, did it feel honest and am I expressing what I want to express. As I was writing, I just tried to hang on to that as my\u00a0guide post\u00a0and it gave me the freedom to get creative with the way to best wanted to express those thoughts and feelings.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the process,\u00a0Carll\u00a0agnowledged\u00a0the importance of listening to one\u2019s inner voice and not simply going through the motions, pushing down the reality of our feelings with\u00a0distractions\u00a0or\u00a0self-numbing\u00a0behavior.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I found in life is if you ignore stuff, it\u2019s going to find a way to show up and it can either come in a way that you\u2019re prepared for, you and embrace it and you learn\u00a0stuff\u00a0or it can come in a way the wrecks you and you don\u2019t have the positives.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0lived through that enough to know that I need to start paying attention to what my inner voice was telling me because I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0aligned in a way that I needed to be and it was just not serving me well.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Finding,\u00a0nurturing\u00a0and protecting that inner voice became the driving force behind the record. Though the concepts can be heavy, Carll approaches it all with his signature humor and lightheartedness creating a real sense of community in this journey of life with great sing-a-longs\u00a0like \u201cGood People (Thank Me)\u201d featuring clips from performances at Houston\u2019s Mucky Duck,\u00a0a venue that has been instrumental in shaping his career. <\/p>\n
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The experience of\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0Only Human culminates with the\u00a0self motivational\u00a0final track \u201cMay I Never\u201d featuring contributions from Shovels & Rope,\u00a0Gordy Quist, Darrell Scott, Nicole Atkins, Ed Jurdi and Carll\u2019s old\u00a0pal\u00a0and Texas treasure, Ray Wylie Hubbard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a song that I wrote\u00a0just about trying\u00a0to hang on to my spirit and not compromise for the world and just another reminder to myself to hang on to my center. Advice always hits a little heavier when somebody you respect is giving it to you rather than just\u00a0coming up with\u00a0it on your\u00a0own\u00a0so I thought\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0recruit some people that meant a lot to me. Those are all people that\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0known for decades and in one way or another have been significant in my life.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One voice that is not on the record but clearly served as inspiration in his approach to blending the personal with the universal is his\u00a0pal\u00a0and mentor Todd Snider<\/a>. \u201cTodd was a hero and in a lot of ways sort of was a huge inspiration for how to be an artist and how to approach life and\u00a0the craft. He was all in and that was something I always admired about him and never quite felt like I lived up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Carll describes his passing as a continued reminder that life is\u00a0fleeting\u00a0and we\u00a0must\u00a0do\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0best for our hearts and souls with our time on this planet. \u201cHe was always an amazing champion and supporter of my music and so many other peoples and it meant so much to me during his lifetime to have him encourage me, cheer me on and give me guidance.\u00a0He was a guiding light on this record for sure for me.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Reflecting on his almost 50 years, which he will mark with a celebration in Nashville\u2019s Brooklyn Bowl <\/a>with\u00a0Chaparelle<\/a>\u00a0and other special guests, Carll is quick to acknowledge all the support and help he has received along the way\u00a0including at Galveston\u2019s historic Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe <\/a>where he \u201cworked\u201d with Rex \u201cWrecks\u201d Bell.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u00a0use that term loosely,\u201d he laughs about his \u201cjob\u201d at the Old Quarter.\u00a0\u201cNo one got paid but basically if you\u00a0hung out\u00a0long enough and he trusted\u00a0you,\u00a0you could get behind the bar and sling some beers\u00a0but everybody that was there just wanted to be around that energy,\u00a0spirit\u00a0and\u00a0music.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Old Quarter continues to serve as a quintessential stop for singer songwriters and breeding ground for new talent. \u201cThat place\u00a0became\u00a0my school,\u00a0my\u00a0church\u00a0and\u00a0my home.\u00a0It changed my\u00a0life\u00a0and\u00a0Rex changed my life in so many ways.\u00a0If I\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0found the\u00a0Old\u00a0Quarter when\u00a0I\u00a0did,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know that\u00a0I\u00a0would have a career and if\u00a0I\u00a0did, it certainly\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be anything like\u00a0it\u00a0has\u00a0turned out to be.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Hayes Carll will perform with Tyler-James Kelly on Thursday, December 4 and Kam Franklin on Friday, December 5 at The Heights Theater, 339 W 19, tickets $42. For more information visit www.hayescarll.com<\/a><\/p>\n