If you’re a country music fan, you’d do well to acquaint yourself with Colby T. Helms. The 21-year-old, with a voice and stylistic bent that’s reminiscent of current country star Tyler Childers, has the potential to be the next Appalachia-based singer-songwriter to make a splash. With his debut LP Tales of Misfortune, Helms begins to turn potential into reality.
Each of the eight tracks on Tales of Misfortune is well-written, with memorable melodies and vivid lyrical imagery about life in Helms’ rural Virginia hometown. Album opener “First Snow” is exuberant, a ramshackle honky-tonk number about the thoughts running through his head and realities he’s facing while traversing his hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains after snowfall.
Tales of Misfortune concludes with the up-tempo but poignant “Daddy’s Pocket Knife.” Helms processes the loss of his father through the story of finding his lost pocket knife and the memories it brings to the surface. It’s a common trope in country music — waxing poetic over a family heirloom — but it’s true to Helms’ real-life experiences and he imbues his spin on it with genuine emotion.
That emotion, infused into Helms’ consistently passionate, heart-on-his-sleeve vocals, propels Tales of Misfortune. With this strong first album, Helms proves himself to be a solid talent with a bright future.
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