The newest recorded effort from veteran, Knoxville, Tenn.-based songwriter is a mad squall of rock energy and gimlet-eyed optimism that could only be produced by a man who’s still young-at-heart enough to believe in possibilities, but wise enough to know that things rarely turn out the way you expect.

In short, it’s vintage Tim Lee.

The third solo outing since he made his return to recording with 2001’s primarily acoustic Under the House, finds Lee re-exploring some of the same fuzzed-up sonic ground he trod with 2004’s No Discretion.

Like its predecessor, Concrete Dog finds Lee again working with drummer/producer Don Coffey Jr., and bassist/wife Susan Bauer Lee.

And as with No Discretion, Lee again ventured into Coffey’s Knoxville-based Independent Recorders and Money Shot studios in Water Valley, Miss., to lay down tracks. And, on the recommendation of Steve Wynn, Lee also cut “Greyhound from Jackson” at Wave Lab in Tucson, Ariz., with producer Craig Schumacher manning the boards.

“Like most things I do, there was no pre-planned idea,” he explained. “I just started recording songs as they came up, and as time passed, it started to take shape.”

As with No Discretion “we recorded a lot more songs than we used,” Lee continued. “The only difference is that we didn’t finish a lot of them. If they didn’t rise to the top, we didn’t fool with them very long.”

Unlike Lee’s previous recording, however, the band that made No Discretion is much different from the one that convened to produce Concrete Dog. This combo, with the addition of guitarist Greg Horne, has logged the miles, playing bar after bar across the American Southeast and beyond, where it gelled into a seasoned unit. And it shows.

“With my wife playing bass and co-writing, and my best friend playing drums and co-producing I’ve got a more permanent group that encourages me and works with me,” Lee said. “It just makes it more fun.”

Concrete Dog also finds Lee opening the songwriting shop to include frequent contributions from Susan, and, with the title track, a rare full-band composition.

“One day, Susan put some lyrics on my desk that ended up being the first verse of “Real Bad Habit,’’ Lee recalled. “When I got around to looking at them, the song came together very quickly.”
Working with his wife adds a “spark of inspiration” to start writing, Lee continued.

“A lot of these songs – including “Get Up,” “Dead Guy Story,” and “Half Life” – came from her original ideas,” he said. “I was just lucky enough to have the opportunity to finish them.”

-- John Micek, 2006