Its title notwithstanding, Fortune offers further evidence that this Texas-bred singer/songwriter may be the biggest talent the world at large is yet to discover. His previous albums should have proved the point, and while Rod Picott definitely deserves the fortune of which he speaks, some accompanying fame would also seem reasonable as well. “Maybe that’s what it takes/A good hard break,” he sings on the chorus of album opener “Maybe That’s What It Takes” and in Picott’s case, no lyric has ever seemed truer.
Then again, this is an album that seems flush with determination and optimism. “Elbow Grease” takes those sentiments one step further: “Ain’t I lucky, Yes you are, How’d a wreck like me even get this far, One more chance is all I need, I got a lucky…
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…charm and elbow grease.”
“Until I’m Satisfied,” “I’m On Your Side” and “Spare Change” also echo that stance, but in a way, the entire album is about overcoming obstacles, whether they’re tendered by love or by circumstance. Sometimes the protagonists appear to win; at other times, the task at hand seems hopeless. In most cases the melodies are suitably subtle and low-lit to an extreme, and when Picott picks up the pace, he does so in such a gnarly way, the ominous uncertainty is clearly evident there as well. What’s also evident is the fact that the man who crafted these songs is certainly due for wider recognition. For now however, Picott’s Fortune is our good fortune as well.