I had the chance to interview Slaid Cleaves about some of his favorite records. I also interviewed Michael O’Connor, his frequent sideman, here. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
Bruce Springsteen
Nebraska
“I was a Bruce Springsteen fan, and when Nebraska came out in 1982 it provided the template for making powerful, affecting music on a low budget on an intimate scale I could be a part of, without all the industry/rockstar stuff I had no access to (or interest in).”
Eliza Gilkyson
Hard Times in Babylon
“I’m astounded at how much great music Eliza Gilkyson has put out over the past ten years. She and I run in the same circles, so I know how hard she works, and how well she treats the people she works with. She performs with incredible grace and is not afraid to speak her mind! There’s power and beauty and wisdom in everything she does, but my favorite record of hers is still Hard Times In Babylon from 2001.”
U2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
“I remember hearing a U2 song on the radio quite a bit, a few years ago. I think it was “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. One goal I had when starting my latest record was to incorporate some of those pop sensibilites – a more internal, emotional focus, a more dramatic melody, more distict parts, besides just verse and chorus. I tried to apply these ideas to the new record, especially to the song “Cry,” which was, lyrically, more of a pop song than normal for me.”
Fred Eaglesmith
The Official Fred Eaglesmith Bootleg, Volume 1
“My favorite Eaglesmith record, this one has three “train songs” on it. I had a pretty big Lionel train set when I was a kid, and I would always be thrilled when my folks’ car would get stuck behind the crossing gates to let the train go by. So, when I first heard “I Like Trains” I really did say – Damn, I shoulda written that one!”
John Fullbright
Live At The Blue Door
“I’ve only heard a few songs, but it’s pretty clear that John Fullbright is one of the most talented young guns out there. Sometimes I think the art of songcraft – using characters, story, language, melody to create something lasting – is a vanishing art, practised only by old fogies like me. It’s good to see a 21-year-old stepping into this tradition and keeping it fresh and alive.”
Slaid Cleaves – Cry
Posted: March 26th, 2010 | No 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
Posted: October 13th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
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.
Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run
“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.”
Rodney Crowell
The Houston Kid
“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.”
J. J. Cale
Any Way the Wind Blows
“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.”
Hank Williams
Gold
“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 Townes Earle
Midnight at the Movies
“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.”
Posted: October 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment »
