David Olney - Eye Of The Storm (1986/2019)

David Olney's first solo album after seven years of fronting Nashville-based roots-rock band the X-Rays, Eye of the Storm contains songs written during both his pre- and post-X-Rays periods. Surprisingly, however, the album sounds completely cohesive, almost as if the all the material had been written as part of a single concept project. Olney's voice is somewhat more fragile than on subsequent releases (often veering dangerously close to being out of key) but perfectly matches the songs' world-weary themes. The production is understated and the playing sparse, mirroring the quiet intensity of Olney's delivery. An immensely gifted lyricist, Olney boldly tackles uncommon themes throughout the album. "A Dangerous Man" is a stark, chilling song about T.E. Lawrence (subject of Lawrence of Arabia), and "Titanic" relates the story of the famous shipwreck from the point of view of the iceberg. Fortunately, like his contemporary Guy Clark, Olney is that rare songwriter who is able to lend substance and emotional depth to virtually any topic.