Prodigy Charlie Sexton Keeps Plugging Away
By the time Charlie Sexton signed to MCA 10 years ago, at the age of 16, word had circulated throughout the music world of this hotshot Austin, Texas, guitar prodigy who had amassed several lifetimes of experience by the time he was old enough to drive.
“Before I made records, there was a kind of folklore like, ‘Hey, in Austin, Texas, there is this kid who plays the guitar.’ I would go to these places all around the world and there was always someone that had heard some story about me,” says Sexton, whose first two albums, “Pictures For Pleasure” (1986) and “Charlie Sexton” (1989), were solid but unexceptional albums that focused more on his chiseled looks and guitar prowess than a unique artistic vision.
After his second album, Sexton became part of Arc Angels, a Texas group that also featured Doyle Bramhall II and Stevie Ray Vaughan rhythm section alumni Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. They released one self-titled album on DGC in 1992, which received solid album rock support and retail activity. Meanwhile, with an eye toward his next album, Sexton began writing and “trying to get the real stuff on paper,” determined not to make another big guitars album.
The result is “Under The Wishing Tree,” which came out two weeks ago on MCA under the numerically incorrect moniker the Charlie Sexton Sextet (there are only four in the band).
To help him achieve his goal, Sexton hooked up with producer/ engineer Malcolm Burn.
“Charlie seemed clear on what kind of record he wanted to make. He didn’t want to do a big old, dumb rock record, so we hit it off pretty quick,” says Burn. “This particular record is his debut of being more than just a guitar player. He arranged parts and played violin, cello, mandolin, drums, and half the instruments on the record. He wrote most of the material, and he has found his voice as far as his singing goes. It is a whole new thing for him, and I think, in a good way, a lot of people are going to be in for a surprise.”
Concerning his early presentation as a striking, young guitar idol, Sexton says, “A lot of people base what I’m about on that. When it came down to it, I really had nothing to do with it. One day, I was this guy playing around town. The next day, I was doing a record and it was, ‘Oh! He looks like this and blah blah blah.’
“The next flip of the coin was me being attacked for it. It was like, ‘Wait a minute. All I did was play guitar!’ It wasn’t like a mask I put on or anything. … In Austin, I grew up in a musical place where the only reason a song was there was to be a vehicle for the guitar solo,” says Sexton, who co-wrote some of the songs with Tonio K, Craig Ross, and James McMurtry. “That is all great, but where I personally come from, there is more to it than that. The song should be great, and if you have a good guitar solo, then great. I was never into the whole guitar hero thing anyway. I like music too much.”
This time out, Sexton presents a wide range of musical elements set within a cohesive framework that has many highlights, from “Sunday Clothes” and “Dark” to the haunting “Spanish Words.” “Under The Wishing Tree” indeed marks the arrival of Sexton as a serious artist, one who should find a home, not only on traditional album rock outlets, but also on album alternative and the mainstream side of modern rock.
While Sexton is excited about “Under The Wishing Tree,” he views his work and the marketplace with a philosophical attitude of someone who has been around the block more times than most 26-year-old artists.
“It is funny, because as soon as you figure out the music business and who gets played on what station, everything changes,” says Sexton. “Hopefully, I am trying to write the best songs I can and give the best reading that is appropriate for that song. I’m intent on serving what is best for the music, and hopefully there is a place for it.”