Rosanne Cash – “Sea of Heartbreak”
Posted on | October 13, 2009 | 2 Comments
1. By now, Rosanne Cash’s new record The List has been pored over by critics, previewed by NPR, and released a week ago. Her renditions of songs from her father’s list of 100 essential songs provide new insight into classic American standards, with warm production by her husband, John Leventhal. One of these songs, Don Gibson’s “Sea of Heartbreak”, was also covered by her father on his second American Recordings release Unchained. The two versions of Gibson’s terribly lonely classic are very different, but both seem to serve the song equally well. Rosanne brings in Bruce Springsteen to assist on background vocals, while her father had Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) backing him on much of that entire record. As for whose version is better? That is up to you to decide.
2. Johnny Cash’s work with Rick Rubin stands as a testament to both artist and producer, with Cash’s strong baritone hovering over Rubin’s crisp, acoustic based arrangements. Petty’s drawled count-off leads into a jangly rendition with all the American Recordings’ hallmarks – triangle, layered acoustic guitars, and booming piano fills. Petty has always been underrated as a background singer, a role he displayed on Bob Dylan’s 1986 True Confessions tour, where he and his band opened for the legend, then served as his backing band. His thin tenor lilts over Cash’s recitation, while Benmont Tench’s organ provides a perfect warmth to the track. Rubin, who also produced Petty’s Wildflowers, provides a similar sound here, with the bright accompaniment a worthy foil to Cash’s unmistakable voice.
3. Leventhal and Rosanne take a different approach, with an airy keyboard and a twangy, reverb-heavy guitar providing the only accompaniment before Rosanne’s distinctive alto breaks the ethereal mood. Bruce’s voice is in full croon mode that he showed on Magic’s “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”, more deep-vibrato Roy Orbison than the gritty howl that Springsteen fans are used to. A change of chords on the chorus creates a descending, tension-building pattern that echo the narrator’s desperation. Springsteen’s solo turn on the bridge over a lightly strummed guitar makes it a true duet, rather than just a background cameo.
4. It is hard to pick a favorite of these two tunes. Rosanne’s version is more adult contemporary, similar to a rendition that Sting might turn out if he were prone to covering American classics. Her father’s version is more of an update of his traditional country sound mixed with the Traveling Wilburys (of which Petty was an integral part). Maybe both can be enjoyed without picking a favorite, but in case you haven’t heard either, listen to them below and let me know which version you favor in the comments.
Johnny Cash (with Tom Petty) – Sea of Heartbreak
Rosanne Cash (with Bruce Springsteen) – Sea of Heartbreak
Five Records with… Will Kimbrough
Posted on | October 2, 2009 | 1 Comment
I had the chance to talk to Will Kimbrough the other day. Singer, guitar slinger, songwriter, co-leader of Daddy, and occasional sideman and producer to Rodney Crowell and Todd Snider, Kimbrough hails from Alabama and consistently finds himself mixed up with terribly exciting music. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
“I saw Bruce play on May 1, 1976 for my 12th birthday in Mobile, Alabama. The ticket was $4.50, my first guitar was $20 and I never looked back. I played my first show at a skating rink. Anyone who bought the 30th anniversary edition and saw the DVD saw the show the way I saw it – no special effects, nothing that blows up – just a charismatic lesson in what to do, how to be down to earth, how to reach people.”
“I admire the way Rodney reinvented himself at age 50 — his songwriting is as good as ever, but his music took a step up. Just being around him, he is uncompromising without being a jerk. You can go to Rodney’s show and he might not play any of the hits from the 80’s that people know him for, but he still blows his audiences away, and that’s hard to do.”
“I listened to a lot of J.J. Cale while making this last Daddy record — I love how he is able to take the simplest thing and make it interesting. Tommy and I always start Daddy records by getting together and writing something and building off of that. “Love In a Bottle” was heavily inspired by JJ.”
“I wish I had written “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. It’s just beautiful – the nature imagery in “The silence of a falling star/ Lights up a purple sky” and the raw way Hank delivers it as only he can make it such a classic. He really wrote poetry for common people by being able to take common things and put them to simple melodies.”
“Justin just keeps improving. He was given a great opportunity due to his bloodlines, but he absolutely lives up to it. You can see it in his work ethic, the way he gets after it, and the way he appreciates the music that came before him. Midnight at the Movies was a great step forward from his first record, which was fantastic as well.”
Album Review: John Fogerty – The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again
Posted on | September 15, 2009 | No Comments
1. John Fogerty hails from the same state that Buck Owens once made his home, and the two might have had a lot more in common had they been closer in age. As it is, the older Owens took a more traditional country route in forging his Bakersfield sound, and the younger Fogerty flavored his slice of Americana with rock and roll and r&b. On his new record The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again, Fogerty returns to the classic country covers of his first solo outing, this time with a crack band including Buddy Miller, Kenny Aronoff, and Greg Leisz. Oh yeah, and two of the Eagles and some guy named Bruce Springsteen.
2. Fogerty pays tribute to some of his heroes who made the country music that belied CCR hits such as “Green River” and “Lodi” taking on Buck Owens himself with “I Don’t Care” and Ray Price with “I’ll Be There” and “Fallin Fallin Fallin”. A testament to his devotion to this era of country is the band he surrounded himself with, who ably fill the tracks with more twang than any top-10 country artist. Fogerty obliges the band with old-school shout-outs as they take their solos, adding to the charm. On Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party”, Timothy B. Schmit and Don Henley show up putting their best foot forward with a thick layer of harmonies that wonderfully echo Nelson’s understated original track. “Moody River” also benefits from some excellent harmony vocals that make it one of the more upbeat murder ballads I’ve heard.
3. John Prine’s “Paradise” and John Denver’s “Back Home Again” get the acoustic treatment with a bluegrass feel spiked by Leisz’s ace dobro work. Prine is a nice choice for the discerning country listener who might scoff at the inclusion of a John Denver song, but Fogerty’s earnestness makes the two sit naturally on the same record. In fact, Fogerty’s earnestness and obvious passion for these songs are what make this record work. These tunes are so dead simple that it would be impossible pull them off if you didn’t believe in them whole-heartedly, and John Fogerty leaves no room for doubt about that.
4. Wrapping up the record, Fogerty pays tribute to one of the great close-harmony duos of all time with his cover of the Everlys’ “When Will I Be Loved”, featuring an exuberant Bruce Springsteen. Here, the duo manage to combine the longing of the original with Fogerty’s rough-around-the-edges style that is damn near perfect. It would be hard to miss with this combination of American rock legends, but they somehow manage to beat expectations, even with a somewhat awkward vocal ad-lib in the middle.
4. John Fogerty has written an incredible amount of American classic songs (remember, Creedence was only a working band for about four years). I have always thought he and Tom Petty were musical doppelgangers, with Petty seeking the California sound via Gainesville and Fogerty seeking the Florida swamp-rock sound via California, but this record showcases the golden country music where their interests cross paths. These songs need more tribute, and need more artists like Fogerty who are willing to update them for a younger audience. Here’s to hoping this isn’t the only reunion of the Blue Ridge Rangers.
read more posts »