| TIMELESS...HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE LOST HIGHWAY RECORDS**** �Timeless� is a pretty decent tribute album that joins a growing collection of other albums of a similar vein. These tribute albums usually consist of a group of popular (or in some cases, not so popular) artists who are brought together on a recording where they pay tribute to a certain artist or band by doing cover songs. The artists involved at times stay close to the original songs in style and content, but at other times they go off on a tangent, altering the music or genre-style, sometimes drastically. �Timeless� pretty much sticks to Hank William�s born and bred hard country sound. A majority of these covers work, and a few are outstanding interpretations that prove interesting in their own right. Hank Williams was an amazing country music artist who was part bonified hillbilly and part songwriting genius. Considered by many to be the father of country music, his influence and music continue to grow and spread even now, years after his death in 1953 at the age of 29 from alcoholism. Bob Dylan opens the collection with his interpretation of �I Can�t Get You Off Of My Mind�, an obscure cut from one of Hank�s earliest sessions recorded in 1947. Dylan puts his own gruff stamp on the song but retains the original�s �old-country feel�. Keb� Mo� offers up a simply wondrous version of �I�m So Lonesome I Could Cry� that�s worth the price of admission alone. He imbues the song with a great, earthy blues touch that is expanded upon by his cool vocals and instrumentation that includes piano, steel guitar and violin. Other good cuts on the album include Tom Petty�s rocking version of �You�re Gonna Change (Or I�m Gonna Leave), Mark Knopfler�s ethereal �Lost On The River�, and Ryan Adam�s living room style rendition of �Lovesick Blues� that really shows off his vocal abilities. Three covers by female artists including Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Sheryl Crow give Hank�s songs a bit of a twist by changing the viewpoint to that of the opposite sex. It�s kind of weird hearing �his cold, cold heart� instead of �her cold, cold heart�. On the downside we get �Your Cheatin� Heart� from Beck, which was okay, but I felt to be a little too geeky. Also Keith Richards does his thing with �You Win Again�. I thought they could have just left this cut off. Richard�s vocals just pretty much suck, and the whole song just sounds thrown together and weak. A couple of interesting Items to add: Hank William�s grandson Hank III sounds so much like his granddaddy when he sings �I�m A Long Gone Daddy� that it�s almost scary, but a wonderful scary. Must be in the genes. Then, closing the album we get Johnny Cash�s cover of �I Dreamed About Mama Last Night�. Hank Williams used to record religious cuts under the pseudonym �Hank The Drifter� that almost always consisted of spoken word refrains about home, family and church. Johnny Cash with his one of a kind voice pulls this one off nicely, and it�s a fitting closure for �Timeless�. JOHNNY WOLFE...BAD TONIGHT BULLNETTLE RECORDS*** Whooooiieeee!!! What a slab of ass-kicking Texas country-rocknroll this is! This is guitar drivin honky-tonk at it�s finest and Johnny wolfe knows how to write and play the kind of songs that make ya want to jump in your old beat-up International pick-up truck with a case of Lonestar and tear up the main drag. This is gravel-spittin�, bar-hoppin�, whisky drinkin� shitkicker music that�s guaranteed to have you wearin� yer bootheels down in no time at all. The album runs the gamut from honky-tonk bar band rave-ups to crying in your beer gut wrenchers. There�s driving songs, drinkin songs and leavin� songs.Every song on �Bad Tonight� is great. You can hear such influences as Merle Haggerd, George Strait, Johnny Horton and Buck Owens. The whole album is fueled by Wolfe�s outstanding electric guitar riffs and his tight band that keep the pedal to the floor with no pussy air-bags in sight. Wolfe�s songwriting always keeps the music barreling along like a �57 Chevy with the lights out on a dark, country road. This is a Texas artist who bears watching, and the fact that he�s affiliated with Daven James (see last issue�s review of Davin�s album) just goes to show that Johnny Wolfe�s in good company. JEFFREY HALFORD AND THE HEALERS...HUNKPAPA SHOELESS RECORDS**** Jeffrey Halford writes songs about America and backs them up with great Americana roots rock His proficiency on slide guitar rips up one side and down the other and will simply bowl you over. It�s been quite awhile since I�ve heard a CD that just wouldn�t get out of the carousel, every time I listen to it I find something new to crow about. The lyrics on hunkpapa tell of life in this here country with a passion and wit that keeps your ear tuned in to their homespun honesty and sharp eyed observations. From �Stone�s Throw�: �Inside they�re cutting up a rug Lifting up a jug About a stone�s throw away When the shovel hits the mud Too much will make you crazy Not enough will do you in She wanted it all He wanted more than one The music pushed on Their bodies caressed Her blade pierced through a pin-striped vest...� More great lyrics give you an idea of Halford�s musical inspirations: �The wolf, the killer, the man in black Wrong side of the rail road tracks Elvis Aaron and Reverend Green Don�t forget about Mr. B.B. King� Other great songs on �Hunkpapa� include �Memphis�, �Radio Flyer� and �Satchel�s Fastball�. All of these mentioned are outstanding, but everything on this album shines in it�s own way. Definitely a keeper. TERRY GARLAND...OUT WHERE THE BLUE BEGINS PLANETARY RECORDS***1/2 Terry Garland was born in Johnson City, Tennessee and at the onset of his musical career he studied the sounds of artists such as Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, Blind Willie McTell, Howlin� Wolf, and Lightnin� Hopkins. Terry proceeded to play guitar in a number of blues roots oriented touring bands, and after opening for Leon Russell, set off on his own solo endeavorment. He became a virtual master of acoustic and steel guitar, becoming predominantly proficient at steel playing. His first albums for RCA/First Warning (1991) and the UK label, Demon Records (1996) have long been out of print, but are now available from Planetary Records in reissue form. Planetary has now also recently released Garland�s brand new album �Out Where The Blue Begins�, and it is a great collection of half cover songs and half originals. Garland�s previous efforts consisted of mainly covers by such greats as Fred McDowell, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Johnny Winters, Bukka White and Howlin� Wolf. Now with the new album we get not only some of Garland�s own writings (which are excellent), but the addition of previously excluded instrumentation including a full horn section on several cuts. Long time cohort and friend Mark Wenner from The Nighthawks once again adds his amazing harmonica skills to the mix. Garland is at his best as a country-blues interpreter who takes the pioneering forefathers of the blues and gives their musical creation a bit of his own twist with his National Steel Guitar artistry. Garland definitely joins other contemporary practitioners of blues roots music such as Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Robert B. Jones and John Hammond with his obvious talents. Check it out. |