With “Dreamer,” Olav Larsen & The Alabama Rodeo Stars have given us an aching, slow-burning gem that sounds like it was dragged from somewhere deep in the dusty backroads of America and distilled through the cold light of a Norwegian dawn. Bearing the influence of the warm, well‐worn traditions of Americana and country music, “Dreamer” speaks directly to the heart of anyone who has ever felt lost, hopeful, or somewhere in between.
Larsen’s weathered yet gentle voice contains the emotional heft that can’t be faked. The delivery has a deep ache, calling Tom Waits or a restrained Van Morrison to mind, but it is rooted in Larsen’s hard-earned life experience. The voice doesn’t sing the song as much as it inhabits it.
With The Alabama Rodeo Stars in tow, the instrumentation is gentle, soulful, and in the service of the story. The arrangement allows for open space, ruled by warm acoustic strums and stately rhythms and vocal harmonies that seem designed to damn the lyrics if they threaten to pull you under. In keeping with the “country purist” tag that Larsen has been assigned, there’s just good, old-fashioned story-telling beautifully executed.
“Dreamer” is a lyrical exploration of the fragile area between hopelessness and perseverance. It’s a secular prayer for those pursuing something better, even when their chips are stacked against them. Like Larsen’s previous work on “Gospel for Non-Believers,” this album carries a sense of hushed spirituality as it’s more about searching than reaching and surviving than preaching. For fans of Hank Williams, John Prine, and the soulful side of Americana, this song reminds them that sometimes, the strongest songs don’t come from shouting at the world but whispering into the dark.
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