Hammers & Nails

It's a real tragedy. Not only did Mark Heard die so suddenly, and at the height of his songwriting powers, but many of his best songs are marred by poor production choices, or rather they're marred by having the ill luck of being born during the absolute nadir of recorded music — the late '80s. If this music were produced any other time besides the late '80s it would almost certainly have fared better. This posthumous collection brings together demos recorded between 1987 and 1989 and a handful of songs previously released on hard to find compilations. The demos are from a time when Heard was growing increasingly disillusioned with the music industry, and lyrically, the songs here are unflinching, gritty, and just plain real. If only the music had those same qualities. Although these are just demos, they're dated by an overly slick production style that too often brings Kenny Loggins to mind. If you're willing (and able) to overlook this and instead focus on the lyrics and themes, the songs redeem themselves, especially ones like "I Hang My Head" and "When His Luck Runs Out." They are all, to some measure, witty, snarling, sarcastic, mournful, and joyous. In terms of timeless insight, Heard is about as good as it gets. But at least here, the presentation hasn't aged very well.