Curtis Obeda
One of the things that makes Curtis Obeda noteworthy and
worth studying as a blues songwriter is that he writes for other vocalists (notably
Willie Walker) as well as writing songs for his own band, The Butanes, where he
is lead vocalist and guitar player. When you know that your song will be sung
by another person, especially an incredibly talented singer like Willie Walker,
you have to write more universally and give the singer words, rhythm, melody,
meaning plus enough space to allow them to bring their own interpretation to
the song.
Obeda was inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame in
2014 in the category of “Blues Song” for “Crying to Do”, recorded by Willie
Walker and The Butanes on the album “Right Where I Belong” (2004). In the
nomination speech, Mike Elias said that Curtis “was comfortable and proficient
in both Blues and Soul. He respected the history and limits of the genres.” 1
He writes and performs across several genres including
R&B, Soul and Blues. His songs for Willie Walker are most often about
romance and the complications thereof. The songs he sings himself cover greater
subject breadth and are often humorous.
Writing for Willie Walker, Obeda gives him lyrics that make
sense and can be sung honestly and with feeling. The songs on the first album
featuring Walker, “Right Where I Belong” (2004), are, with only one exception (“Change”),
about the ins and outs of romance. The most recent Walker album “Long Time
Thing” (2011) runs about 50-50 between romance and other topics and is more
satisfying for that.
“It Ain’t Your Ladder” tells a woman that other people
contributed to her success. She shouldn’t just pull that ladder up after
herself once she’s climbed to the top, she should leave it where others might
benefit from it –in other words, offer her own helping hand. Great song, taking
a complicated subject and expressing it simply and effectively. “Dirty Deeds” is another one I especially like
– it’s more like the songs Curt sings himself with the tongue-in-cheek humor. “Betrayed”
is a fresh angle on cheating: Walker sings how he was betrayed by his best (male)
friend. In another writer’s hands it would be the woman who is shamed.
I have only one Butanes “solo” album – 2014’s “12 Frozen
Favorites from the Upper Bayou”.
The language of the lyrics is pleasingly modern – words that
people actually use in conversation. And the songs are smart, with a lot of
humor in the lyrics. “Ain’t No Doubt” relates how the singer visits (and
quickly leaves) a scary bar, a gay bar and a wine bar before he finally finds a
bar he likes. But then his wife shows up. Each verse of “It’s Not That Bad” lists
unpleasant things - at home, at the doctor’s and trying to get across town. In
verse four he eats oysters in a month with no R… but it’s not THAT bad!
Sometimes Obeda’s cleverness gets in the way of the song. In
“Call Me” he uses about every sense of the word “call” that exists – nouns,
verbs, adjectival phrases… it’s a great dance number but the song doesn’t
really go anywhere.
He gives himself few songs that give opportunity for
emotional expression in the vocal. They generally don’t have the telling detail
of the humorous songs. In “Can You Help Me Brother” Curtis tells us how sorry
he is, how wrong he has been, how he needs to get back where he belongs but we
don’t know what it was that made him so angry in the first place. “Funny Way of
Living” expresses anguish about his overbearing woman, but again, no poignant or
cinematic detail that would make us feel the way he feels. If she had made him “cut
his meat smaller and chew it twice” 2 we’d have a bit more sympathy.
What songwriters can
learn from Curt Obeda
- ·
He makes the songs catchy – sometimes a repeated
refrain, sometimes a chorus. You can almost always tell what the title of the
song is. It actually pisses me off that the hook line from “Amy Is a Gold
Digger” keeps running through my mind since I don’t particularly like the song
but it sure is catchy. The back-up singers are often used to repeat the title
or hook, an effective tool for songwriters as well as record producers.
- ·
He puts a lot of work and craft into his writing
– the last verse of a song is as well-written as the first. The scansion, rhyme
schemes and meter are consistent from verse to verse. He keeps to the subject
and theme of the song, the words fall naturally.
- ·
He gives the singer room to sing – plenty of
long notes, good melodies and chord changes.
- ·
He adds humor – just the right amount for the
genre, I think. He doesn’t limit the humor to sexual innuendo as is common in
the blues.
- ·
He will write verses that lead to the chorus or
refrain from different, but complementary directions. For example, in “Drift to
Sleep” there is a linear story about missing his baby at night… In “Drives Me
Crazy” the singer relates how it drives him crazy when his baby takes a long
time to make a special dinner. In Verse two, she takes a long time getting
ready for bed. In “I’m OK” the verses cover different periods of time – things
happen in the span of days in verse one; they span seasons in verse two. In “If
You Expect to See Another Day”, after each verse he uses a different lyric in
the lift before the repeated refrain. It all adds interest, keeps you on your
toes and paying attention.
- ·
You can dance to it! The Butanes mostly play
clubs; club audiences want to dance. Aspiring blues songwriters might find
bands who would record their songs if they make dance-ability a priority in
their writing.
Good songs have the right balance of same and different. Curtis
Obeda really has this down. Every song is approachable, not hard to get into.
And once you are grooving along with the music, he takes you in an pleasantly
surprising direction before he puts you back on track.
Notes.
1. “Limits”… just a word, but it gives me pause as I try to
articulate for myself what these limits might be. These boundaries are hard to
define; I guess everyone has their own perception of what is inside and is outside
of a Blues limit. What is, or is not, the Blues.
2. A line from “B.S. (Bob’s Song)”
I listened to
Right Where I Belong (2004)
Memphisopolis (2006)
Long Time Thing (2011)
12 Frozen Favorites from the Upper Bayou (2014)
