1. Elizabeth Cook reaches deep down into her roots in Wildwood, Florida to produce “El Camino”, from her latest Don Was-produced gem Welder. Have you ever been to Wildwood, Florida? Just south of Ocala, the small town might be the plastic lawn chair capital of the world. Cook embraces that, describing a man who might well be the hero of this small town, and her unashamed love for him.
2. The man that picks her up “everyday at the curb/ In his 1972 refurb” lives in a country that you don’t hear about on the radio. Cook’s country isn’t full of chest beating ex-military family farms, but rather folks who go parking after the “Saturday matinee roller derby”, after the dude “slipped a quaalude in my beer”. Confident enough to say that he is “creepy in a perv kinda way” and “right now my hands are in his mullet”, Cook’s character shows the two sides of the Southern woman: one who calls it like she sees it, and can’t help but like what she sees.
3. The same attitude gave her critical acclaim on the title track from 2007’s Balls, which was produced by Rodney Crowell. Buddy Miller and Dwight Yoakam also make appearances on this record, furthering the testament to Cook’s music. She stated in interviews that Don Was discovered her through her friendship with Todd Snider, and that might be an apt comparison: honest, smart, and completely irreverent. The combination of those traits is exactly what makes this song work.
Elizabeth Cook – “El Camino”
Posted: July 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »
1. I started thinking about Rodney Crowell when writing about his recent collaboration with Bruce Robison. Crowell has had a storied career, running with Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt in Nashville before heading to L.A. to play in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, then finding mainstream country success in the 80’s and reinventing himself in this past decade. Though his style has varied over the years, he has a deep catalog of songs that run the gamut from political rants to unabashed love songs. “Bluebird Wine” came early in his career, and was brought more success when Emmylou covered it on her landmark Pieces of the Sky record, though Rodney’s live take from Heartworn Highways better shows the guts of the song.
2. Riding some surprisingly ace finger picking, he tells a story of a new friend who straightened his life out…so that he could better enjoy his precious Bluebird Wine. The irony is not lost here, as Crowell comes in off the highway, puts his money in the bank, and gets rid of worry so that he can cut loose. When he hits the chorus, the song “hits its stride” just like he sings, with an exuberant swagger that mirrors the effects of the precious drink. Crowell returns to the irony by relating that his new friend has taught him the joys of staying in at night and listening to the radio, while “drinking all the Bluebird we can hold”. This slight twist on the idea of turning over a new leaf gives the song an indelible splash of character.
3. Crowell has turned out some great work in recent years, records which his guitarist Will Kimbrough calls “his best“. Though much of his more recent work deals with his disgust with politics, poverty, and other heavy subjects, he has always maintained the ability to write uptempo songs about letting go and having a great time. Great songs are expected from someone with his songwriting pedigree. With “Bluebird Wine”, Crowell shows that he was cranking classic songs out from the beginning, and that these later years are just the icing on the cake.
Rodney Crowell – Bluebird Wine
Posted: October 29th, 2009 | No Comments »
1. Bruce Robison defies the term singer/songwriter in the conventional definition. Widely known for writing hits for George Strait, the Dixie Chicks and Tim McGraw, he also cultivates his own following who appreciate the songs that don’t trickle up to mainstream radio. It is this deep catalog of great songs that might never make it to the top of the charts but will never lack for listeners that set Robison apart. On his latest, titled From the Top, Robison partners with Rodney Crowell, who has followed a somewhat similar path. The first single “Born to Roll” heads up a set of songs that are unashamedly Texan and absolutely country. The song’s rapid fire delivery and simplicity make it a sure bet for fans who appreciate the simple, well written music that those genres suggest.
2. Robison puts the pedal down from the beginning of this song to the end, saying he was born “in the steeple of a diesel”and drawing influence from both the hum of the road and the songs from the radio that his parents sang to him. Learning to read from a road map and filling his baby bottle at the truck stop, Robison paints his character as a child of the highway. When Crowell’s agile voice comes in on the second verse, he assumes the second person role of the brother, who takes the “diapers and the mortgage and the Drano” while Bruce takes on the highway “from Boston to Austin”. If there was more to write about the plot, I would have written it. Crowell and Robison know the value of creating a simple song that does its job well and doesn’t aspire to change the world. Clocking in at 2:43, the song is in and out in a way that mirrors a semi barreling down I-35.
3. The track has some of the slick production that Crowell has lent to his recent productions, but a song this simple could be dressed up a million ways and still succeed. The heritage that Robison inherits from Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, and Lyle Lovett has blazed a trail that surrounds great songs with exactly what they need. Basing a career on the strength of a song has created careers for his heroes, and Robison shows no signs of straying from that with “Born to Roll“.
Bruce Robison – Born to Roll
Posted: October 27th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
