JD Souther: Man Behind the Music Steps Out Front

JD Souther is not known for being a front man; yet on May 9th, he took center stage at a packed Café Carlyle, to celebrate the release of his newest album, Tenderness.

Souther is best known as the man behind the music. In the 1970s he wrote hit songs for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. As a solo artist Souther has released eight studio albums prior to Tenderness and recorded with jazz legends including Stanley Clarke, Donald Byrd and Chuck Domanico. Now living in Nashville, Souther is also well known for his reoccurring role on ABC’s Nashville, where he plays producer Watty White, sometimes strumming his guitar for a national audience. 

Tenderness is a testament to Souther’s diverse career and influences, and it was at the Carlyle where Souther selected to celebrate his new album. Souther had nine days notice to prepare for the one night engagement, so did the audience, still tables had to be added to fit the large number of guest in attendance.

The Carlyle embraced this “busyness”, without sacrificing its usual grandeur.  The room buzzed with anticipation. At each table sat a signed copy of Tenderness. Before the performance began, waiters calmly took orders. Some tables shared bottles of wine, some sipped on cocktails.

Lights dimmed and the room fell quiet, but the crowd’s energy did not fade. Souther entered the intimate space looking handsome and dapper. The 69 year-old took center stage with his custom Gibson guitar in hand. After a brief discussion with his pianist and bassist, Souther started the night off with his 1984 “Go Ahead and Rain.” The country tinge of the original recording could be heard in instrumentation through a tinny sounding upright bass and Souther’s southern tenor twang.

Souther continued with a song written for his former girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, “Simple Man, Simple Dream” off of Ronstadt’s 1977 Grammy-winning album, Simple Dreams. Next he warmed the crowd up with his 1976 hit Eagle’s song “New Kid in Town.” Souther admitted he sings this song to help him relax on stage, claiming he was extra nervous that night since he was not used to playing in such an intimate space.

More relaxed, Souther presented the room with a song off of Tenderness, demonstrating to the audience why this event was happening at the Carlyle. “Come What May” is a nod to the Great American Songbook, through its swelling melody and its strikingly intimate lyrics. This is not the only song like this off of Tenderness. “Dance Real Slow,” which was also performed later in the evening, contains an intro verse like many songbook standards and leads into a jazz lullaby. Through these songs Souther’s talent as a lyricist is obvious. Phrases like “I miss you like childhood when you go away,” and “you’re lonely as Christmas with no one around,” are as clever and melodic as any songbook lyricist’s best work.

Souther further demonstrated his lyrical talent by performing older songs like “I’ll Take Care of You,” “Sad Café,” and “Faithless, Love.” Souther also paid tribute to songwriters such as Rodgers and Hart with “My Romance,” Fat Waller with “Ain’t Misbehavin,” Duke Ellington with “Do Nothing till You Hear From Me,” and J. Fred Coot and Sam Lewis with “For All we Know.” This genre of is not foreign to Souther, who’s father, John Souther aka Johnny Warren, was a big band crooner. He performed each standard with the same amount of sensitivity and honesty he did for each of his own songs.

The song that evoked the most feeling out of Souther, “Something in the Dark,” was written for his good friend Judee Sill. Written back in the 1970s, in an attempt to keep Sill alive and a warning to himself, not to get lost in it all. The song possesses a creepy and empowering melody, which is further heightened on Tenderness through multiple layers of sound. Even without these layers, Souther played it at the Carlyle with an intense level of passion, demonstrating his talent not only as a songwriter, but also as a performer. Live, Souther’s voice sounds like a softer Neil Young, this mixed with the imperfections of a live performance, actually improves the experience of hearing his songs. In person, Souther showed a venerability, which perfectly matched the lyrics and mood of his music.

It is not likely that Tenderness will attract the same level of popularity as Souther’s contributions in the 1970s Southern California music scene; but Tenderness may forever rebrand him as an artist and songwriter capable of feats far beyond southern rock. At 69 years old, Tenderness changes Souther’s title from “the man behind the music” to “the man with the music.”