new/recent
releases
Townes
Van Zandt, A Gentle Evening with Townes Van Zandt
(Dualtone, April 23, 2002).
Long-forgotten Carnegie Hall performance of November 26, 1969
finally seeing the light of day. The concert was part of a Poppy
Records showcase that also included comedian Dick Gregory and the
rock band Mandrake Memorial - but Poppy went belly-up, United
Artists acquired their assets which were in turn later acquired by
Capitol Records, and guess what tapes got lost in the shuffles?
Thank goodness the masters were found and
finally released by Dualtone, as this historic recording is
delightful and revealing, offering a young (he was just 25) Townes
only three years into his professional career. The familiar warmth
and self-deprecating humor is already there, but so also is a
youthful vigor and clarity of voice that ultimately disappeared in
later years with age and Townes' legendary penchant for copious
hard living.
As Paul Kingsbury writes in the liner notes,
"Inspired by Lightnin' Hopkins, Hank Williams, and Bob Dylan,
Townes was writing songs that had touches of the blues, country
and folk of his heroes, but already he was forging his own style,
encompassing both impressionistic, visionary poetry and
unflinching lyrical honesty; it was a style that would come to
influence such disparate performers as Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark,
Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, the Cowboy Junkies and Nirvana's Kurt
Cobain."
Townes sang 9 songs that night (and told a
joke, as he so often did at his shows - it's included as a
separate track). "Talking KKK Blues" has never before been
released until now. Four others ("Tecumseh Valley," "Like a
Summer's Thursday," "Second Lover's Song," and "She Came and She
Touched Me") were on his first two albums, both of which had been
released prior to the Carnegie Hall gig. "Talking Thunderbird Wine
Blues" and "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (the 1964 Johnny Cash hit
penned by the late Peter LaFarge) would only appear many years
later.
Townes has been gone now for over five
years, and - as his legend continues to grow - so do the number of
posthumous releases, not all of which have been particularly
worthy. The release of A Gentle Evening, however, is a
major event for Townes fans that I hope also will have the effect
of expanding his reputation and audience even further. Now, if
only someone will re-release Live at the Old Quarter, Houston,
which has unconscionably been allowed to fall out-of-print. .
.
(The link above is to Amazon, where the
album may be pre-ordered prior to its official April 23 release.
However, we recommend, whenever possible, that you purchase all
Townes albums from Townes
Van Zandt Central, the official
Townes website maintained by his widow, Jeanene Van Zandt.)
Michelle
Shocked, Deep Natural (Mighty
Sound, April 2002). Michelle Shocked's albums are nothing more or
less than recorded moments in an extended work of sometimes
harrowing performance art - her life. I never thought I'd
mention her name in the same breath as Frank Sinatra, but if
anyone has truly lived a life her way, it's Michelle. With
Deep Natural, Shocked offers an eclectic collection of new
songs that once again defy both expectations and any attempt to
neatly fit her music into a particular genre. The album is a 2-CD
set for the price of one; "Deep Natural" is the new album per se
showcasing the new songs, while "Dub Natural" is the instrumental
"dub" version of these and other tunes - it was previously sold
separately at her recent shows.
The following brief review is by Roy Kasten:
Although double albums are again de
rigueur, the mercurial Shocked pushes the envelope on her first
release in four years. Fully free from major-label duties, Shocked
picks up where the quasi-gospel vibe of the limited-edition Good
News left off (even reprising a few tracks) and delivers the most
expressive singing of her career. She fuses deep Southern funk,
Jamaican dub, ambient country-folk, and socially and sexually
conscious soul (à la What's Going On) with poignantly
confessional, faith-based lyrics. "The more I forgive, the more I
forget/Let it go, let it go," she consoles herself. The sprawling
instrumental companion disc, Dub Natural, has moments of artistic
surprise (especially the supernova blues rock of "Draughts of
Dublin"), though it rarely finds the purpose and spiritual poise
of this set's main attraction--Shocked's ardent singing and
gleaming, inspired songwriting.
Dusk
(Wilson-Weaver), Dusk (2002).
The following is excerpted from the review at cdbaby.com:
Take equal and generous portions of keen insight, positive
attitude, and good-natured humor. Blend in a dozen varied musical
styles, all highly listenable and melodic. Combine with real-life
stories of a songwriter who is comfortable being personal, like an
old friend, and who is an award-winning author with an offbeat,
uncanny command of language and lyric timing. Add strong, clear
lead vocals that Songwriting Hall of Fame artist Mickey Newbury
compares to the singing voice of Bob Shane (Kingston Trio). Fold
in fourteen outstanding guest artists, cradling everything from
Pedal Steel Guitar to Charango, Saxophone to Dobro, Tuba to
Accordion, and a dozen more well-chosen instruments from song to
song. Mix in well-timed outdoor sounds and lyrical foreshadowing
that enhance the cohesiveness that is loved in theme albums. .
. (to read more, click on title or album cover).
Drew
Emmitt, Freedom Ride
(Compass, April 9, 2002) Drew Emmitt is the lead singer
and mandolin player with the popular jam band Leftover Salmon. He
steps out here on his first solo record and brings along a host of
blue/newgrass friends that include John Cowan, the John Cowan
Band, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Vassar Clements,
Stuart Duncan, and Randy Scruggs. The album's title track features
a scorching duet vocal with former New Grass Revival lead singer
Cowan. The Cajun-flavored "Bend in the River" and the bluegrassy
cover of Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" are likely to become staples
in the newgrass repertoire. Also of note: "Paving Eisenhower,"
featuring a dazzling mandolin duet with Ronnie McCoury and the
Emmitt-Peter Rowan duet on the classic "Memories of Mother and
Dad."
Clive
Gregson, Comfort and Joy (Compass,
March 12, 2002). In this long awaited follow up to 1999’s
Happy Hour, Gregson returns with another mind-bending collection
of melodically and lyrically dazzling original compositions, often
focusing on the ironies of life and love. Taking the "solo" album
concept to the extreme, Gregson wrote, produced and played all the
instruments on the record, his second completely single-handed
album in two years. He even learned a new instrument for the
record. He says, “I thought accordion would sound nice so I
decided to try it. I put banjo and accordian together on
"Fingerless Gloves." That’s illegal isn’t it?”
Gregson’s easy melodies combined with a naturalistic tilt can
deliver airy, light-hearted foot-tappers such as "Antidote" and
"If I Was Your Lover," as well as more emotive tracks like
"Fingerless Glove" and "String of Pearls." All around, Comfort
and Joy is another fine solo effort from this Nashvillian
British transplant who earlier on made his reputation as half a
duo with Christine Collister and as a member of the Richard
Thompson Band.
Hamilton
Camp, Paths of Victory
(pictured at left, Collector's Choice, March 2002, reissue of 1964
album); Bob
Gibson and Bob (Hamilton) Camp, At the Gate of
Horn (not pictured,
Collector's Choice, March 2002, reissue of 1961 album). Whether
performing solo or in a duo with Bob Gibson, Hamilton Camp served
as a bridge between the 30s-40s folk of Woody Guthrie-Pete Seeger
and the early Dylan-Tom Paxton-Phil Ochs version of the 1960s.
Camp's tune "Pride of Man" was covered by San Francisco trips band
Quicksilver Messenger Service in 1967, while his and Gibson's
collaboration "Well, Well, Well" was recorded by Simon and
Garfunkel on their debut album, Wednesday Morning 3 A.M,.
in 1966.
Just prior to the release of Paths of
Victory, Bob Camp changed his first name to Hamilton. This
album, coming at the very end of the folk boom that was just about
to go electric with Dylan's heresies, turned from the ballads and
other traditional fare that comprised most folk albums of the day
in favor of his own work and Dylan covers; indeed, seven of the
latter's songs appear on Paths of Victory, including the
rarely heard "Guess I'm Doin' Fine," "Walkin' Down the Line,"
"Long Time Gone" and the title track. It also included the
original version of "Pride of Man" that Quicksilver shimmeringly
covered a few years later to open their eponymous first album.
At The Gate Of Horn was recorded over
three April 1961 sets at the Chicago club that was the duo's
hometown haunt.
Steve
Goldberger and the Fringe Locals, The Niagara-on-the-Lake
Rhythm Project
(Shed, Feb 2002). Back in the 70s, Steve Goldberger was a
founding member of Black Creek, a Toronto-area hybrid
newgrass/roots rock band that recorded for RCA. In the post-Black
Creek years, he had pretty much stopped recording and writing,
even as he stayed involved in music as a bassist for a large
variety of acts. By 1988, however, he was recovering from open
heart surgery and reassessing his life and career. Steve
subsequently decided he needed to get back to what he loved best -
writing and recording original music. He built his own recording
studio, but it wasn't until 2000 that his first independent CD as
a performing songwriter - Come from the Heart - was
released.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Rhythm
Project is the first of what will be two releases for
Goldberger this year; in this case, what started as "an all
acoustic world music kind of thing" with Steve and friends has
resulted in a collection of instrumental hybrids mixing world,
jazz, blue/newgrass, rock, country and blues. What I like most
about the record is its spirit of fun, experimentation and
cameraderie that runs from beginning to end; instruments range
from piano-bass-guitar to oddities like the digeridoo, claves,
seashells, whirlies, vinyl siding, tail pipe, flower pots, a salad
bowl, and yes - a kitchen sink.
Visit Steve's website (click on the title or
cover above) for more information and/or to purchase this
album.
Richard
Shindell, Courier
(Signature, February 12, 2002). These live recordings find
the seminarian-turned-new-folkie in his 
element:
playing before an attentive, enthusiastic audience in his native
New Jersey and New York, spinning mythic stories of fateful
battlefields, haunted truckers, and visionary saints and lovers
alike. Fronting an easygoing band of expert pickers, Richard
Shindell turns in surprisingly solid covers of Little Feat and
Bruce Springsteen tunes. Cry, Cry, Cry partner Lucy Kaplansky
wraps Shindell's nasal, sinewy delivery in subtle harmonies,
pushing the best of these songs, including "Next Best Western" and
his finest, most poignant take on relationships, "Are You Happy
Now," past previously recorded versions. As an introduction to
Shindell's spiritual lyricism and as a live document for longtime
fans, Courier is a cache of reflective, gently glowing gems.
-- Roy Kasten
Panama
Red, HomeGrown (Kinkajou,
2002). Originally released in 2000, this little gem of an album
became something of a cult item - and ultimately tough to come by.
This re-release on Kinky Friedman's Kinkajou label by ex-Texas
Jewboy Panama Red should solve that problem. The following is from
a review from Down Under by Keith Glass of Rhythms Music Magazine:
"This is the kind of album they don't make any more - a bloke and
ten of his songs naked (metaphorically speaking) in front of a
microphone - imagine that! . . . And Red (nee Danny Finley) is a
soulful singer, the same way that applies to someone such as
Donnie Fritts or Billy Swan - lived-in maybe the more accurate
term. He sure nuff knows how to write a song, as is well and truly
demonstrated by the midway point of track 2 Heaven On Earth which
hits a groove and stays there. His earthy guitar playing is
another plus And he swoops down on that bluesy thang in Poor Boy
like a solo John Fogerty. It's raw, uncompromising and most of all
honest." I couldn't agree more.
Elliott
Murphy, Soul Surfing (January
2002). European import, and new to us. Murphy has been living in
Paris for the past 10 years and continues making records
prolifically on both sides of the pond (last year's La Terre
Commune with Iain Matthews was released on Eminent, a
Nashville-based label). Click on the album cover for Elliott's
website - you can purchase the album from there if so
inclinced.
Scott
McClatchy, Redemption
(Dec 12, 2001). Philadelphia-bred and now NYC-based Scott
McClatchy melds a rustic twanginess with a blue-collar
sensibility. It's no surprise then that fellow urban troubadours
Willie Nile, Scott Kempner and the legendary Dion join him on a
version of the Band's "The Weight".
McClatchy displays a gift for dealing
with weighty issues without being heavy-handed. He weaves a
Byrdsian guitar line through the title track, a song in which he
questions sin and redemption. "The Reason" and "The Legend"
provide poignant looks at a troubled relationship and an
over-the-hill performer, respectively. "My Family's Land" and
"Goodnight Bobby", meanwhile, are two moving story-songs
chronicling hardscrabble, rural American life. McClatchy concludes
his fine second solo album on a rousing note with a rendition of
the Del Lords' anthematic "Heaven". (Amazon)
other
featured albums
Dan
Bern, New American Language
(Messenger, Oct 2001). "If you judge me tonight, judge me
by the songs I write," Dan Bern sings in "Black Tornado," thus
serving notice that he's sick of the comparisons to various iconic
songsters. Bern has never suffered from a lack of ambition,
tackling pop culture and personal foibles alike with fervor and an
utter disregard for taboo. Bern takes on similar subjects here,
but backed by a five-piece folk-rock combo and warmly produced by
Chuck Plotkin (the Dylan and Springsteen vet who presided over
Bern's 1993 debut), he strips away the sophomoric gags and cloying
cleverness that have plagued his past. Only the title track falls
for the easy, ironic cop-out (key lyric: "OK, I guess, whatever").
Cuts like "Turning Over" ("I can't find me one new leaf worth
turning over") and "Albuquerque Lullaby" ("Don't let your heart
get broken by this world") come off heartfelt and unforced. And
while much of New American Language finds Bern mellowing into a
newfound maturity, he's still happy to poke holes in hype and
hypocrisy. "Toledo" offers wry tribute to "The Church of the Holy
McDonald's," while the freewheeling "Alaska Highway"
sucker-punches everyone from Eminem to God. -- Anders Smith
Lindall
Harry
Manx, Dog My Cat
(Northern Blues, July 2001). We were turned on to Manx by a
visitor to our website, and soon after began airing several tracks
we were able to obtain electronically. Two were off this album of
last year, which we've since been sent by the label - and now
we're featuring in its entirety.
Manx - a Canadian originally from the Isle
of Man - plays the blues with a difference; its thus a mistake to
force him into this genre exclusively, as his music is a
hybridized creation. For five years, Manx spent time in India
studying mohan veena - a 20-string Indian slide guitar - with VM
Bhatt, who himself won a Grammy in 1994 for his collaboration with
Ry Cooder, Meeting By The River. On Dog My Cat, Manx
plays mohan veena as well as regular lap slide guitar, adding some
fine singing and harp blowing to the mix.
Harry Manx's fine playing and overall style
evoke comparisons to Kelly Joe Phelps, although with more of a
cross-cultural, East-meets-West influence and sound. There is a
new album, by the way, that's either just been released or is
about to be - Wise and Otherwise. Actually, I don't know
why the new one wasn't sent to us as yet, but assuming we can get
a copy, we'll feature it soon.
Kate
Rusby, Little Lights (Compass,
June 2001). Kate Rusby's fragile, haunting voice is only the
first reason among equals that makes Little Lights such an
unmitigated delight. Just as wondrous are her delicate acoustic
arrangements of traditional tunes, the sensitive musicianship of
her collaborators (notably guitarists Ian Carr and John Doyle, and
the refined backing vocals of Eddi Reader), and, last but
definitely not least, her burgeoning songwriting skills. There are
more Rusby originals here than on her previous two solo albums,
with the catchy story-songs "I Courted a Sailor" and "William and
Davy" proving standout items. That is until the extraordinary
climax of the album with "My Young Man"--a deeply personal song
about Rusby's own grandparents--in which her molasses-rich voice
is accompanied by a heavenly brass choir. Elsewhere, an achingly
mournful cover of Richard Thompson's "Withered and Died" once
again demonstrates Rusby's subtle magic with other people's
material. (As a bonus track, the Rusby clan gets together for an
impromptu family rendition of "The Big Ship Sails.") Anyone
charmed by Rusby's Mercury Award-nominated Sleepless or her mature
debut Hourglass need not hesitate. Those yet to discover one of
the finest voices in British folk should rush to acquire all
three. --Mark Walker
Darryl
Purpose, A Crooked Line
(Tangible Music, October 2, 2001). Darryl Purpose might be
a folk music progressive, or a roots-rocking singer-songwriter, or
a traditional acoustic troubadour -- or all of the above. His 2001
album A Crooked Line, a splendid sampler of his diverse, engaging
songcraft, may prove the final option to be the most apt.
Warm acoustic tones surround Purpose's
gently emphatic melody "Bryant St.," which features Ellis Paul on
guitar and string player Darryl S. on cello, while "Late For
Dinner" conjures up a haunting Western scenario, abetted by Dan
Tyack's distant pedal-steel cry, Dave Carter's stalking banjo, and
Tracey Grammer's ghostly harmony vocals. Carter composition "The
River, Where She Sleeps" is the album's sole cover, a rhapsodic,
delightfully wordy tune accented by harmonica, violas, vibes, and
Paul's guitar. (Purpose and Paul also co-wrote the mountainous "I
Lost A Day To The Rain.")
Yet Purpose is at his best on his serene
melody "California (Rutherford Hayes In The Morning)," which
tunefully outlines Hayes' Reconstruction-era term, with his
footnote as the first President to visit the Golden State -- to
the accompaniment of acoustic guitar, cello, pedal steel, violin,
and Grammer's vocals. Similarly, the humming, up-tempo "Koreatown"
is a running monologue that offers a kaleidoscopic, Purpose-ful
depiction of his Los Angeles home, with lines like "They're
building a subway here/And the city's sinking." Purpose closes out
the album with the inspiring "I Can Get There From Here," which
finds him backed by a string quartet, in a clever arrangement by
Danny Seidenberg which ranges from neoclassical to Afro-Cuban.
So even though one learns that it's best
to stick to the straight and narrow, Darryl Purpose shows the kind
of happy discoveries that are possible while following A Crooked
Line. -- Drew Wheeler, CDNOW Senior Editor,
Folk
Dave
Carter and Tracy Grammer, Drum Hat
Buddha (Signature, June
2001). Not too long ago we featured Tanglewood Tree, the previous
Carter-Grammer release. Roy Kasten writes: Dave Carter and
Tracy Grammer take a convincing step forward on their third
release, which at various times echoes the music of Robin and
Linda Williams and a twangy version of Richard and Linda Thompson.
Although gifted on banjo, guitar, fiddle, organ, and mandolin, the
duo has placed a premium on the songwriting, with considerable
payoff. "Tillman Co." details the ordinary terrors of rural
working-class life, "Gentle Arms of Eden" evokes a mystical gospel
vision, and "Ordinary Town" offers one of the best opening lines
heard this year--"Common cool, he was a proud young fool in a
kick-ass Wal-Mart tie"--and then somehow sums up the mysteries of
small-town life. Now and again, the philosophical trappings can
feel rather starched and pretentious, abetted in part by Carter's
penchant for faux-Shakespearean syntax and imagery--"Hail the
wayward werewolf howlin' / Haints and shades and goblins growlin'"
is one such clumsy exertion--but the overriding musical and
lyrical eloquence makes Drum Hat Buddha one
of the more original Americana releases of the
year.
Chip
Taylor, Black and Blue America
(Trainwreck, Aug 2001). Since he gave up the ponies and
returned to music full time, the author of "Wild Thing" and "Angel
of the Morning" has enjoyed a low-profile artistic renaissance of
elegant, tender songwriting. But by the lights of his fifth
post-racetrack release, penning shrewd, often stunning
country-folk lyrics is no longer enough. With the help of Lucinda
Williams, John Prine, ex-Van Morrison guitarist John Platania, and
gospel singers Audrey Martels and Deena Miller, Chip Taylor aims
for the big statement, splicing in spoken samples from Eisenhower,
Malcom X, Cassius Clay, and older brother Jon Voight as if his
songs of temptation, outlaws, Jesus, baseball, and Marilyn Monroe
weren't deliberate enough. Taylor isn't a memorable singer, but
his lackadaisical drawl isn't offensive either--and when Lucinda
joins him on aching, unpretentious ballads like "Could I Live with
This" and "The Ship," his listeners will immediately recognize why
Taylor is both a legend and a vital, contemporary voice. --Roy
Kasten
Rod
Picott, Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues
(The Orchard July 2001). Another
excellent CD we missed from last year. This is from John Hood of
Music Row Magazine: His sound? Barbed wire lyrics wrapped
around whisky and gravel vocals. Hints of Springsteen, Earle and
Lucinda Williams abound. But it's the wallop of soul in his
passionate vocals and the earthy groove of his melodies that give
Picott his own distinct sound. He's just beginning to hit his
stride as a writer; Slaid Cleaves took their co-write "Broke Down"
to No.1 on the Americana charts. He's a narrative storyteller
tapped into the trials and tribulations of the working class. He
intuitively understands heartache, desperation, joy and small
hopes (small, not inconsequential) ignore class boundaries. And
because of that, his characters possess a certain nobility, a
dignified humanity that belies their bleak circumstances. Plus the
man can turn a phrase like nobody's business. Give this man a
listen, he's America's next great songwriter.
Various
Artists, Let It Be Real (Stand
on the Ocean, 2001). Just weeks ago, we featured another
collection - Lowdown, Dirty, Mississippi Delta Blues - from
this new Chicago-based independent label dedicated to recording
authentic roots music at its source. This is the flip side of the
same coin - an album of Deep Gospel likewise recorded in the
Mississippi Delta, but churches have replaced the dives and juke
joints of the Blues effort. No, people, we're not trying to
"church you up" like Cab Calloway did to Jake and Elwood Blues.
Listening to this modern Gospel as music is more than enough, as
its as passionate as its Blues sister and outdoes in intensity not
only most of the tripe that passes as gospel today, but much of
its R&B and R&R children, as well. What's fascinating,
too, is how the latter secular forms have come back to influence
their roots.
The following is from a review by Jeff
Harris, Bad Dog Blues, WITR 89.7 Rochester, NY: "If church
sounded anything like the recordings on Let It Be Real I'd
never have a problem getting up on Sunday mornings. The nine
groups on this collection play in a variety of styles but all
share a raw edged passion that's sadly lacking in most
contemporary gospel. Like the above collection all these groups
are homegrown products recorded live at the Travelers Rest Church
and Moorhead and Christ Temple in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Highlights include . . . the very bluesy Delta Country Boy on the
rocking, harmonica-driven "This Train", Sarah Blair & The New
Life Singers on the moving "You Ought To Live", William McGhee
& Greenwood Jubilee on the tough, bluesy "You Gotta Move" and
Aurther Strong Jr. delivering a strong message on "Hang Up Your
Hangups."
Tomi
Lundsford, Higher Ground (1997). While this album
is going on five years old and completely new to us, Tomi Lunsford
is not - she's done quality backup vocal work for Dave Olney, Tom
House, and others.
Born in Ashville NC, Tomi has a fine musical pedigree; her
family is well-known in traditional and country music circles. Her
father - Jim Lunsford - was an accomplished fiddle player, musican
and songwriter, and an early pioneer of bluegrass and classic
country who played with Bob Wills, Don Gibson and Roy Acuff.
Tomi's own professional career as a singer began by helping her
father put demos down for his publisher. Ultimately she became
part of the Lunsfords, a family group that would become hugely
popular in Nashville during the 70's with their pure blend of
country folk and the superb harmonies that are exclusive to such
endeavors.
Since the group's breakup and her father's untimely death, Tomi
has carried on on her own. Higher Ground is a showcase of
her chops and roots that is far too little-known considering its
quality, and clearly deserves much more attention than it has
received. Note: This album is not available anywhere
except via email; if you click the cover or title, you can order
or find out more information direct from the source.
Larry
Rice, Tony Rice, Chris Hillman, and Herb Pedersen, Out of the
Woodwork (Rounder, 1997). Considering
the talents of this quartet - and the participation, as well, of
dobromeister Jerry Douglas - this project somehow fell through the
cracks and disappeared off the radar shortly after its release
over five years ago. We're thus resurrecting this excellent model
of updated, acoustic Cosmic American Music. The following review
is by Henry Koretzsky, and the link from cover/title is to Amazon
(where the album appears to be least expensive as of this
writing):
Out Of The Woodwork is an apt title for this
fascinating collaboration of Chris Hillman, Herb Pedersen, and
Larry & Tony Rice. It seems to be a sly reference to the
undeserved lack of recognition given this quartet of musicians who
have collectively impacted so much of the history of acoustic,
roots-influenced popular music. The range of groups which this
combined roster can list on its resume is astonishing -- The
Flying Burrito Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, the Foggy Mountain
Boys, The Byrds, the David Grisman Quintet, J.D. Crowe & the
New South, the Desert Rose Band, Dickey Betts, Stephen Stills
& Manassas -- but this CD represents the first full, joint
venture of these four artists since their fledgling days as young
wannabes in the southern California bluegrass scene of the early
1960s.
Out Of The Woodwork is definitely worth the
wait. The dozen songs included here juggle various vocal and
instrumental combinations that comfortably straddle the line
between bluegrass and acoustic country music. While the
trend-setting flatpicking guitarist Tony Rice is limited to an
instrumental role due to his chronic voice ailments, the vocal
blend of Hillman, Pedersen and Larry Rice meshes into a unit which
sounds like they've sung together for years.
While the singing skills of Hillman and Pedersen should come
as no surprise, Larry Rice's increased prominence in this project
is one of the most pleasant surprises. He has a distinctive
baritone that gets showcased effectively on his haunting original
"Streetcorner Stranger" and on an achingly beautiful cover of
Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day." Hillman presents some
fine new originals such as "Story of Love" and "Somewhere On The
Road Tonight." He also brings new life into some old classics with
which he's been associated as a sideman. Stephen Stills' "So
Begins the Task" gets fresh treatment here, as does "Do Right
Woman," a Motown standard once sung by Gram Parsons with the
Flying Burrito Brothers. Pedersen offers a gentler approach to
tunes like "Only Passing Through" and "No One Else."
There's plenty of instrumental skill displayed here as well,
but there's a pervasive sense of the chops serving the songs,
rather than vice versa. The Rice brothers, on mandolin and guitar,
lead a cadre of session pickers including fiddler/bass siblings
Rickie and Ronnie Simpkins (Tony Rice Unit) and dobro greats Jerry
Douglas and Mike Auldridge. Hillman and Pedersen make peremptory
appearances on mandolin and banjo respectively.
Out Of The Woodwork is not a recording aimed
at the hard-core bluegrass purist. Rather, it's a collection by
some talented long-time friends whose excitement at returning to
their natural, acoustic roots is evident throughout. Anyone whose
musical tastes have been touched at some point by these players --
and that means, nearly everyone -- will love what they discover on
Out Of The Woodwork.
Patti
Smith, Easter (Original
release 1978; remastered reissue 1996). We started playing this
Sunday in what is sure to be an Easter tradition for us - and
decided at the last minute to continue featuring to some extent
through the week. This is arguably Smith's best album all around,
blending crisp, kick-ass rock and roll (produced by Jimmy Iovine)
with Patti's poetry, theatrics, and sensuality. The
Springsteen-penned "Because the Night" was her only real "hit"
ever, but the rest of the album is what's brilliant, from the
menage-a-trois of "We Three" to the desperate cry of
release of "Privilege" to the chilling death/resurrection theme of
the title track.
Notes by Michael
Westerfield; other credits as noted
See also our Winter
2002 Featured Albums
Back to
Top
