“Just Stay” by Kevin Devine
(Words/music: Kevin Devine, available on Put Your Ghost to Rest, Capitol 2006, Academy Fight Song 2007)
Kevin Devine came perilously close to becoming a victim of the music industry’s changing tides; instead, due to his hard work and persistence, Devine represents a triumph of the new model. In 2006, Capitol Records picked up Devine, on the strength of three solid solo records and a devoted (and expanding) fanbase, and set him up in the studio with producer Rob Schnapf, who produced Beck’s Mellow Gold and all of Elliott Smith’s records after Either/Or. The result, Devine’s fourth album Put Your Ghost to Rest came out on Capitol that fall. Whether it was Schnapf’s aid in arranging or Devine’s continued growth as a songwriter, Put Your Ghost to Rest featured Devine’s strongest set of songs – meticulously arranged, cleverly worded, and bursting with melody. Devine stood behind the curtain ready to take his moment in the spotlight - earning a VH-1 “Artist to Watch” nod (not exactly a Grammy award, but still a nice honor for someone touring the VFW hall circuit months earlier). The only problem was that before the show could begin, the audience was sent home. Capitol, in the middle of merging with Virgin and other EMI subsidiaries, put out Devine’s record with what he called “very little help.” A few months later, Capitol dropped Devine, letting him leave with the masters to his record, later released on vinyl in 2007 and re-issued on CD in 2008.
Devine, to his credit, took everything in stride, but I can’t help but wonder if “Just Stay” lost its moment in the spotlight. Like many of his earlier songs, “Just Stay” leans heavy on imagery and clever turns of phrase. Literally, Devine tells the story of a drug trade gone awry, but it’s the emotional range of his character, experiencing nervousness, desperation, longing, and regret all within four minutes. Sonically, “Just Stay” starts with a strum and builds to a scream, letting Devine’s voice scratch against a bit of feedback on the “I can hear it clear as day” line. The noticeable difference lies in the attention to the arrangement – a larger recording budget (or, perhaps more appropriately, a recording budget) offered Devine a range of musical choices at his disposal, using keyboards and different guitar sounds to enlarge his sonic pallet. All of this comes together in the final minute, when the lead guitar and Devine trade off on the melody, with the normally verbose Devine riding a chorus of “woah-ohs” to the end. He sounds like a man in complete control of his song – he tells his story, creates a specific mood with the arrangement, and buries his melody so deep into the listener that it won’t be gone for days.
Even if “Just Stay” never reached the audience that Put Your Ghost to Rest deserves, Devine landed on his feet. Even if his stint on Capitol was brief, he left with a recording worthy of his songs and an increased network of fans and supporters. Tuesday, his new record Brother’s Blood comes out on Manchester Orchestra’s record label Favorite Gentlemen. It’s available digitally right now (and for $8 on iTunes and Amazon, it’s a bargain) and reflects his time spent touring with Manchester Orchestra. Devine and his band (“The Goddamn Band”) sound like a cohesive unit on Brother’s Blood, experimenting with some new sounds for Devine’s songs and stretching out their range. If they come to your town, do yourself a favor and check them out – you’ll find him as clever, engaging, and impressive in person as he comes across in his songs.More on Kevin Devine: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
This is the most comprehensive thing I’ve ever read on this song.
