Eric Church- Evangeline vs. The Machine
Label: EMI
Producer: Jay Joyce
Without question, Eric Church’s is one of the most fascinating artistic journeys to come out of this most recent era of country music. He could have easily ridden the bro-country wave of the 2010s that plenty of his early hits fit into, and secured a radio-centric superstardom similar to peers like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. Instead, he chose to always put his artistic vision and convictions first. Now yes, his music always had a deeper thread running through it from the outset, but he also could have easily rested on his laurels once tracks like “Drink In My Hand” and “Springsteen” hit pay-dirt. But he didn’t. Passionately devoted to the art of album-making, in both a genre that was always single-centric and a new streaming era where albums can often feel inconsequential, Church pushed the boundaries- sonically, topically, promotionally, among many other ways. His rebelliousness may have seemed like sheer posturing early on, but it’s long since been given credibility by the body of work he has amassed over the past two decades. Eric Church loved to challenge his audience and the industry, and made no apologies for it.
Now, enter Evangeline vs the Machine, Church’s eighth studio album and inarguably his most stylistically progressive project to date. It finds Church and staple producer, Jay Joyce enveloping his core country-rock sound with plenty of avant garde flourishes and both a full brass-band and orchestra. It’s certainly not the kind of sound that modern mainstream country fans are going to gravitate toward, but if you’re of the loyal Church Choir subset, you’re unlikely to be surprised by this latest sonic swerve. And that’s precisely who Church is creating this music for, outside of himself: his most devout fans.
The jazz and soul influences are very subtle at first, with the proceedings starting in pretty normal fashion with the Heartland Rock-leaning “Hands of Time”, a classic Church reflection on the passing of one’s youth that lands squarely in his wheelhouse, and as a refreshing alternative to other country peers, appropriately in his age bracket. The brassier, more grandiose arrangements get heavier just as the material does, which happens rather quickly given the LP’s slight eight-track run-time.
The heavy societal turmoil and anxieties of the day dominate the bulk of the record’s subject matter, and this is a realm that Church has always navigated very nimbly, getting his passionate points across without ever becoming maudlin or politically partisan. The soul trappings are also not completely out of left-field given the stylistic diversity of past albums, not to mention the 15-year presence of backing vocalist Joanna Cotten, a fiery soul-tinged raven who receives an even greater spotlight within these sonic textures. Tracks like the baptist-revival-leaning “Evangeline” or the greasy funk outing, “Rocket’s White Lincoln” still sound like vintage Church, while moments like “Storm In Their Blood” and “Bleed Red” are among his most soul-stirring narratives.
No, not every stylistic choice necessarily works. The falsetto realm of his vocal range will never be a favorite of mine, and it can indeed be rather jarring on “Darkest Hour”, which saw release last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. These moments do make the record feel far denser than an 8-track set should, and by the time he covers Tom Waits on the closing “Clap Hands”, some of the true influences of the record become truly obvious. Nevertheless, the triumphs far exceed the pitfalls, and his artistic conviction should definitely be applauded.
Perhaps most importantly long-term, Evangeline vs the Machine will stand as the record that finally produced the wide release of “Johnny”, a long-gestating track that finds Church visiting the modern day fears caused by America’s mass-shooting epidemic. Tapping into the same soulful empathy of songs like “Kill A Word” and “Monsters” and sung from his real-life perspective as a parent, Church powerfully draws imagery from Charlie Daniels’ classic, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”, while searching for answers in a world plagued by violence and hatred. Again, Church handles these moments better than almost any other modern star, with nothing but guttural sincerity and realism, and no sign of political or social pandering. It’s a classic Church performance, one that in a more idealistic reality would wash away the polarizing divide on issues like gun violence, and the brassy soul backdrop gives it an extra ounce of powerful nuance.
Evangeline vs the Machine may not necessarily register as an essential Eric Church album, but “Johnny” most definitely will as an Eric Church song. It’s more than worth navigating the overall record for this crown jewel, and open-minded listeners will definitely be rewarded with other revelatory discoveries along the way.
Track Listing:
- “Hands of Time” (Eric Church, Scooter Carusoe)
- “Bleed on Paper” (Tucker Beathard, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
- “Johnny” (Church, Luke Laird, Brett Warren)
- “Storm in Their Blood” (Church)
- “Darkest Hour” (Church)
- “Evangeline” (Church, Laird, Barry Dean)
- “Rocket’s White Lincoln” (Church)
- “Clap Hands” (Tom Waits)
The 706 
Leave a comment