Hard to believe the year’s half over. I’m gonna beat the Christmas rush and muse about some notable releases from the first half of ’06. This week: the tribute albums.
Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman
One of the more fascinating releases this year, this tribute pairs Randy Newman’s songs of the South with a collection of bonafide southern performers. Artists like Bela Fleck, Del McCoury, and Tim O’Brien borrow songs from the enigmatic songwriter’s most fertile period (’71-’76) and give them the folky treatment they deserve. If you like Randy’s songs (I do), but you don’t love his indifferent voice (who does) or his Gershwin styling, you might appreciate the updated sound.
The results are mostly good: Bela Fleck’s instrumental take on the pro-environment “Burn On” begs for an entire album of “Bela Plays Randy”; Sam Bush’s “Mr. President” resonates as well under Bush as it did under Nixon; but the centerpiece is Reckless Kelly & Joe Ely’s definitive version of the western-flavored, “Rider in the Rain” — easily the best song I’ve heard this year. The only dud is Steve Earle’s irritating, humorless version of “Rednecks” — Randy Newman’s songs definitely require humor to justify their tounge-in-cheek political incorrectness.
A Case for Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case
As the title implies, this 48-song tribute is trying to tell you something about Peter Case: HE’S REALLY GOOD. Such a generous helping makes a loud statement about an artist who’s quietly put out 30 years of quality songs. Case is that rare songwriter who can attach a muscular tune to a thoughtful lyric. His best work is represented here (heck, practically all his songs are here), and while I still prefer Case’s original versions to most of these, this was worth it for Richard Buckner’s take on the Case classic, “Poor Old Tom,” Maura O’Connell’s “Blue Distance” and Last Train Home’s “Baltimore.” Good music for a good cause. If you’re looking to add just one Peter Case disc to your collection, however, check out one of the greatest albums ever made – The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar.
This is Van Morrison’s homage to C&W. Nothing special, sorta passionless. Still, it’s been my go-to album, my “get-me-through-the-workday” album, this year. He’s been goin’ through the motions for quite awhile — 5 absentminded, Sinatra-like cover albums in 10 years — but I guess I’m a sucker for “that voice.” Standout tracks are the bawdy “Don’t You Make Me High” and “What Am I Living for?” For a much better collection of classic Country covers, I HIGHLY recommend John Prine’s In Spite of Ourselves from 1999.
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
This album couldn’t have come at a better time; these songs seem right for the times we’re living in. This is an unplugged collection of venerable Folk tunes championed by Pete Seeger during America’s Folk revival some 50 years ago.
This is the only Springsteen album that succeeds entirely on the strength of its supporting cast — the fiddlers, banjo and accordion players. Their spririted playing breathes life into these century-old songs. Springsteen describes it as “the pure joy of playing.” Unfortunately, Bruce’s hoarse vocals sound awkard over this sweet soundtrack. He may share Pete Seeger’s ideology, but not his gentle pipes. He manages to tone it down for the best track, “My Oklahoma Home.”
RT: The Life & Times of Richard Thompson
This hefty 5-disc, $75 box of rarities is for fanatics only, but it’s worth mentioning Richard Thompson here for anyone who’s not familiar with him. He’s a prolific songwriter, and a giant among British Folk/Rock artists. He’s also a fabulous guitarist, regularly included in lists of guitar legends, holding his own with Clapton and Hendrix, as well as Leo Kotke and John Fahey. I saw him in a club in Florida a few years ago, and I’d swear he was playing with three hands — a one man band on acoustic guitar.
This box isn’t technically a tribute album, but I suppose any project of this scope is some sort of tribute. Anyway, Thompson is so respected among his peers that two tribute albums were already released in the 90’s. Regrettably, no decent career-spanning compilation exists, but Action Packed: Best of the Capitol Years is very good and includes his immortal “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”
By the way, the RT box is very good…if you already own his other 20+ albums. The tracks are extremely rare, and his dazzling solo acoustic work is brilliantly highlighted. The negatives: the sound quality is occasionally poor; and the much anticipated versions of “Wall of Death” and “Walking on a Wire” are disappointing.
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