This One's For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark 2011

 

If you were to ask around Nashville who the greatest songwriters are, most everyone would name Guy Clark before they got to number five. He's written songs performed by almost every roots-based Country/Americana artist, and he produced thirteen studio and four live records under his own name. His records were made almost entirely with acoustic instruments, simple and effective arrangements, and Clark's wonderfully expressive voice. And great songs. Exceptional songs.

Since everyone seemed to love Clark and revere his songs, it was no problem to gather the cream of the Country/Americana A-listers to perform on this record. There are no new untested artists that the record company wanted to promote thrown in, as is often the case. There's just Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Joe Ely, Emmylou Harris, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle, Radney Foster, Jerry Jeff Walker, and many more. The 2 CD set has thirty songs and thirty artists. 

The performances honor Clark's own recordings by presenting the songs the way Clark played them himself, with simple arrangements and acoustic instrumentation. There might be a couple of electric guitars, but maybe not. Verlon Thompson, Clark's longtime recording, performing and songwriting partner plays guitar on almost all of the songs.

Often with tributes such as this, the original recordings are hard to beat, and the versions presented pale by comparison. As great as Guy Clark's records are, his songs are so amazing that they transcend even his own fine renditions. If you're not familiar with Clark, go check out Boats To Build or Sometimes The Song Writes You. If you already enjoy Clark, here's another way to appreciate his art.

Play On: A Raspberries Tribute 2025

 

Here's a fine idea. Get a bunch of pop and power pop bands and artists to cover Raspberries songs from their four LPs, which were released between 1972-1974. 2 CDs, 37 songs, only two artists get more than one song. Lemon Twigs get two, and author and musician Ken Sharp gets two. Sharp also plays on and produces many of the recordings. Usually these things stick mostly to the hits, but there's plenty of deep cuts here. In fact, those four original records contain a total of 39 tracks, so all but three songs are represented here. That math doesn't work, but there is also a cover of Please Let Me Come Back Home, a demo that was only included on the Raspberries - Greatest Hits Columbia CD from 2000.

Plenty of big names contribute, but so do some less well known bands and artists, as well as a few names I didn't think were still recording (Shoes, Spongetones). Almost everyone does a fine job. In fact, the quality of these covers is consistently very good compared to how discs like this usually go. That may be due to the level of respect that The Raspberries have achieved, or maybe the songs are just that good. Spending time with those four originals certainly supports the later theory. 

I could nitpick and point out the three or four efforts that are inferior. But four out of 37 is darn good for a various artists tribute record. So this is one great tribute to one great band, who deserve the adulation they have belatedly achieved.

There is only one better way to listen to these songs. I made a playlist of the originals in the same order as this set. You can do a good job of covering The Raspberries, but you can't really improve on the originals. 

Dwight Yoakam Dwight Sings Buck 2007

And why not? Buck Owens is and has always been the primary influence on Dwight Yoakam. It's hard to imaging anyone else doing a better job of covering Buck Owens' songs, although Vince Gill and Paul Franklin did a great job on Bakersfield 2013 in tribute to both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. In fact, if you like this, that would be a great one to pick up next.

Yoakam generally does these great songs true to the original arrangements. Even some of the pedal steel guitar leads are lifted directly off the original Buckeroos recordings. And why not? Buck's originals are some of the best country music of the sixties and seventies, especially when Nashville was adding strings and "fancy" arrangements to many country hits of the day. In fact, it is in rebellion against that slick Nashville sound that Owens and Haggard staked their claim to a more basic, more direct sound, which came to be known as the Bakersfield sound.

So what is different between this and listening to Owens' originals? Well, the recording is fuller and more modern, with more bass, than the somewhat thinner sound on Buck's originals. And Yoakam has a different voice than Owens, less reedy, a little deeper, and with even more twang and that hiccup thing Yoakam does. But that's about it. The band here is exactly the way the Buckeroos were staffed. Yoakam's acoustic rhythm, Josh Grange on pedal steel, Kevin Smith on bass, Mitch Marine on drums, and the excellent Eddie Perez on lead guitar and harmony vocals (filling the big shoes of Don Rich from the Buckeroos). Bobbye Hall plays some additional percussion. 

Every song is a winner. Buck wrote most of them himself, and the rest are carefully chosen songs that fit right into Buck's style, like Act Naturally and Close Up The Honky Tonks.

Buck Owens' fans with large collections might not need this, unless they also happen to like Yoakam. And why not? Dwight Yoakam fans should own this so they can understand what inspired his work. Plus, as Yoakam records go, this one has nothing but good songs on it, not unlike This Time. A+, five stars.

Lucinda Williams Lu's Jukebox Six Releases 2021-2022

From October through December 2020 during Covid lockdown, Lucinda Williams performed a series of live in the studio sets for streaming, with proceeds going to music venues financially hit by closed doors. She ended up doing six of them altogether, and each night was a themed concert featuring cover versions. CDs of the performances were released in 2021 and 2022. The idea is certainly cool, and Lucinda most likely drew a good deal of ticketed streaming. I'll take them in the order they were released.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 1 – Runnin' Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty is a pretty good show, and Williams clearly loves the Southern connection she shares with Petty, and hits on quite a few of his Southern themed songs. Lucinda sounds great, and the band is solid. Rebels, Runnin' Down A Dream, Louisiana Rain, I Won't Back Down, and You Know How It Feels are highlights, but there are none of his early rockers that I love, so it's not the set I would have wished for. And no Magnolia? You may like it more than I did.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 2 – Southern Soul: From Memphis to Muscle Shoals is a great set that plays to Lucinda's strengths. There's not a misstep anywhere. Ode To Billie Joe, I Can't Stand The Rain, It Tears Me Up, Rainy Night In Georgia, all have Williams digging deep into her soulful delivery. Games People Play, Take Me To The River, and Williams' own Still I Long For Your Kiss are also highlights, but every song is a winner. If I had to pick just one of these Jukebox releases, this is the one.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 3 – Bob's Back Pages: A Night of Bob Dylan Songs isn't the thrill it seems like it should have been. I can't really pinpoint why it was a disappointment for me, but it was. Song selection wasn't always great, and even some of the ones that sound like a great idea for Lucinda were just not that exciting. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry was my favorite, but not much else wowed me.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 4 – Funny How Time Slips Away: A Night of 60's Country Classics seems like a great idea, especially after the success of Vol. 2. I can't say I was thrilled with the song selection, and the band, with too much pedal steel guitar, sounds like a cover band from anywhere. Lucinda sings most of it well, but even Night Life, Long Black Limousine, Gentile On My Mind, and the title track are just not great deliveries.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 5 – Have Yourself a Rockin' Little Christmas with Lucinda is a huge letdown. Not really a surprise when the artist is known for material ranging from melancholy to downright sad (and occasionally bitterness) but a letdown all the same. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' is fun, and a few others should be, but Lucinda's delivery just doesn't have the lighthearted positivity that these songs beg for.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 6 – You Are Cordially Invited...A Tribute to the Rolling Stones ends the series on a high note. She sticks to the great sixties/early seventies material the band is famous for, and anger is a very good match for her voice. And the band rocks. Early songs Satisfaction, The Last Time, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black are great. Street Fighting Man, You Gotta Move, Sway, and You Can't Always Get What You Want rock hard and Lucinda tears 'em up.

Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol.6 are recommended. You may like the others more than I did, but only if you think she can do no wrong, or maybe if you just can't get enough Dylan.

Zappadan 2018 again The Persuasions Frankly a Capella: the Persuasions Sing Zappa 2000

Zappadan 2018 continues unabated with some fine contributions on YouTube from Rev. Alex DiBlasi who is reviewing a Zappa release each day of this year's celebration, and brilliant Dutchman Fred Handl plays a number of Zappa's compositions on solo piano. Both of them are celebrating the season in high style. There's also more links over at Zappadan.com.

I'm digging out a wacky a Capella tribute to Zappa by The Persuasions. They manage to sing a number of Frank's finest sans musical accompaniment. That's not so hard to believe on Any Way The Wind Blows, Tears Begin To Fall or Electric Aunt Jemima, which lend themselves to do-wop arrangements, but their versions of Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel, Lumpy Gravy and My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Momma are equally fine. Vocalizing many of the instrumental parts, they turn in fascinating renditions and pay loving tribute to the man who signed them to their first record deal in 1969. It is fun and entertaining, and a novel way to hear Zappa. Holiday cheer!

Looking Into You A Jackson Browne Tribute Various Artists 2014

Jackson Browne wrote and performed these songs the first time. This time, someone else gets a chance. That's the usual trip on these tribute projects, and it''s the same here. So, how does this one stack up, given the monumental bias against these things?

Only so well. If you generally think that these tribute records are a sorry excuse for the originals, you'll get no argument here. There are, of course, some fantastic versions of a great songwriter's repertoire. There has to be. So we can nit-pick the lesser works, or we can fall head over heals for the fine renditions. Score-wise, this set suffers, and there's more misses than hits, but the high points are probably enough for the faithful.

The big moments are: Don Henley's opening These Days, Indigo Girls' Fountain Of Sorrow, Springsteen's Linda Paloma, Ben Harper's Jamaica Say You Will, And Lucinda Williams' The Pretender. After that, there's eighteen more songs on the two-CD set. How many of those are needed?

I've been waiting for this release. I wanted it to be great. Too many stripped-bare versions soften the impact, and even the one Browne rocker, Running On Empty, gets slowed down for the version here. He may be the last great singer-songwriter, but come on, let's give him some energy. There are too many artists that just do a simple cover of Browne's original, and not enough chances taken. And then when someone has the moxie to reinterpret one of the songs, the result is again disappointing.

There are bright spots. Karla Bonoff puts out a fine Something Fine, and Venice delivers a breathtaking For A Dancer. Shawn Colvin's Call It A Loan is lovely. It's hard not to like Eliza Gilkyson's Before The Deluge, but is it even the equal of Browne's original? Not really.

Are there enough good ones to make it worth it? Not this time.

Bill Frisell All We Are Saying... 2011

Still looking for a last minute present for the music lover in your life? Good thing you stopped by.

Bill Frisell is a remarkable guitarist, and he approaches the instrument, and music in general, in novel and interesting ways. He releases records at a remarkable pace. Since 1983, he's released 30 records under his own name, and at least another 35 with Paul Motain and Joe Lovano, Joe Zorn, and Zorn's band Naked City. And then there's the 15 or so other one-off collaborations, and at least 80 other records where he has made guest appearances. The guy stays busy. If you don't know his name, you can't possibly be interested in jazz unless all you listen to are old vinyl records your dad left you (not that there's anything wrong with that). But he also plays country and bluegrass inflected jazz, and some of his records are easy and simple (in a complex way) while others are more challenging. And some of them are aggressively avant-garde.

This one is nearly perfect. An examination of the John Lennon songbook, it is way way way better than almost any tribute record you can imagine (it feels like I must be forgetting some other one this good). Longtime collaborators Greg Leisz (steel guitar), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Tony Scherr (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums) work with Frisell like five people with one brain. One very complex, integrated, high-operating musical brain. They don't let these melodies stray very far, so if you like John Lennon's songs, this could probably be the first jazz record you ever buy, and you'd still love it.

I certainly don't know everything about Frisell's work, but I've liked most of the ones I've heard, and I especially liked Good Dog, Happy Man from 1999. This reminds me of that record. A mellow, laid back approach to almost everything, the record delights at first and just gets better and deeper with additional listening. When they start to jam (and they never rock real hard), they can develop an amazing groove without breaking a sweat.

Every track works. Highlights abound. The opening Across The Universe invites you gently into Frisell's world. A languid You've Got To Hide Your Love Away features Liesz to lovely effect, while Scheinman lights up In My Life. But more than any one of these musicians' efforts, it is the interplay between them that comes so naturally to them, that diverse single-mindedness, that will leave you slowly, quietly staggered.   

It's a quiet, relaxed, monumental record. A glowing tribute to melodies you know so well already. They aren't so much dissected, as gently pulled apart so you can take a look inside, so you can feel how someone else feels these songs, someone who cares about them.

Steve Cropper Deadicated- A Salute To The 5 Royales 2011

I've discussed with misgivings the Dreaded Tribute Album before. It is usually a disappointing mix of artists and styles and recording venues that combine to form a bit of a mish-mash that has a few great moments between mostly lackluster performances by artists often mismatched with material that doesn't suit them.

Well, as tribute records go, there is a new gold standard. The bar has been set, and it is very high indeed. And it should come as no surprise that the man making the best tribute record ever is Steve Cropper. Guitarist extraordinaire Cropper should need no introduction, but just in case, here goes. Guitarist for Booker T. and the M.G.s, both on their funky records and as the house band behind many if not most of the great soul records released on the Stax and Volt labels in the sixties. On many of those sessions, he was also a songwriter and/or producer. Guitarist for the Blues Brothers, who of course mostly lived off the Memphis and Muscle Shoals soul that Cropper help define. And really, that's just the beginning. He went on to produce many artists and recorded a number of solo albums.

This record is so good I don't know where to begin. Cropper admired Lowman Pauling, the guitarist of the 5 Royales, and was influenced early by Pauling's guitar playing. The 5 Royales recorded between 1950-1957, and it could be argued that they were combining R&B, Doo-Wop and Gospel into the precursor of soul music every bit as much as Ray Charles, who usually gets the credit. And it turns out that Pauling was also a fantastic songwriter.

But all that won't make for a great record either. First, the songs are great. Second, the band is Cropper, Muscle Shoals veteran David Hood on bass, the incomparable Spooner Oldham on piano, Steve Ferrone and Steve Jordan on drums, and producer Jon Tiven and The Daptone's Neal Sugerman on sax. And they are tight. Third, about half the vocal performances were actually recorded live with the band because all the guests contacted were falling all over themselves to participate in any project in which Cropper was involved. Fourth, the guest stars are really stars in their own right, no second-stringers hired to flesh out the record. Vocalists are B.B. King, Shemika Copeland, Sharon Jones, John Popper, Bettye LaVette, Steve Winwood, Delbert McClinton, Lucinda Williams, Dylan Leblanc, Dan Penn, and Buddy Miller. Miller and May also add even more killer guitar to Cropper's remarkable chops. Fifth, every performance is stellar. Band, arrangement, vocal- everything clicks. Sixth, and this one should have come first really, Steve Cropper plays the heck out of everything, in the most unassuming way possible. This guy is so good, and always has been, that it takes a while to realize just how magnificently he plays. He is a guitarist who has always served the song first and foremost, and never his ego.  

Lucinda Williams doing Dedicated To The One I Love (it's too cool), Sharon Jones's Messin' Up, Buddy Miller's The Slummer The Slum, and Dan Penn's lovely reading of Someone Made You For Me are all great vocal performances backed by that stellar band, all recorded in Dan Penn's studio. The instrumental Think (yes, the song James Brown covered famously) shows off Cropper's skills both as guitarist and arranger/band leader. The rest of the songs? There isn't a single weak performance.

The recording is clean and neat, just like those Stax records of yore, but with modern production values. If you have any interest in Cropper's playing, or you just want to hear a killer record for a change, look no further. Five stars. This is not product. This is music lovingly prepared by talent of the highest caliber.

Maceo Parker Roots & Grooves 2008

While we're in a funky mood- no better time for Maceo's remarkable 2-CD 2008 set.

Maceo Parker is the most famous of James Brown's soloists, and is one seriously funky dude. His work with Brown is rightfully heralded, but he's made plenty of great music since his days with the Godfather of Soul. From 1975-1985 he played with George Clinton's Parliament and on Bootsy Collins' solo records, and he's made some fifteen solo records since 1970. He's played on many records as a guest, and was featured on several of Prince's records in the last ten years (some of which are a lot better than you'd think).

But the title being discussed here is a monumental recording. Two CDs. Live in Europe with the WDR Big Band, a 20-piece ensemble with impressive skills of their own. The first CD is a Tribute To Ray Charles and the second is dubbed Back To Funk. The Ray Charles tribute disc is a thrill. Maceo sings most of the songs, and his singing is perfect for these tunes, and even sounds a bit like Ray himself. The arrangements and the work of both the star and his noble backing band- no, his fellow stars, the WDR Big Band- it all adds up to fun and beauty. Maceo even does a memorable Georgia On My Mind.

Then on the Back To Funk CD, the gang takes on a number of Maceo originals mostly originally recorded by Parliament or Bootsy, and as one song title states, this is Advanced Funk. A 17-minute Pass The Peas, with no less than six solos by horns, keys, guitar and drums, rounds out the set in fine style. When you're ready for an especially deep groove, look no further. Parker's solos on the entie CD are breathtaking. He is a soulful sax stylist of unparalleled expressiveness.

The recording is luminous. On a good stereo, you can experience new things with this CD. Clarity without edginess. Details abound. Rhythm and pacing that will keep you moving at all times. You can almost see where each player/section is on the stage.

The work of the WDR Big Band cannot be underestimated. And Maceo is thrilled to be in such company, and as such, rises to the occasion. Maceo's no spring chicken. This might be the best recording he ever makes. It definately in the running for the best he's made so far. Seriously. Landmark stuff.

The Dreaded Tribute Album

There's this very popular packaging scheme that involves getting a group of various artists to cover the songs of a band or songwriter as a tribute to the artist's work. Usually these turn out quite disappointing. Sure, there's almost always a great song or two, but the rest are filler-level at best, and sound as inspired as your average Holiday Inn band on a Thursday.

As with any general rule, there are exceptions. I'm never going to call these records classics, because there are always a few less-than-stellar performances on these things, but the tributes below are all better than most, and all of them have quite a few really excellent songs on them, and not many duds.

Deadicated 1991 Grateful Dead songs performed by Los Lobos, Bruce Hornsby, Elvis Costello, Lyle Lovett, Warren Zevon, and more. The Dead seem like an odd choice because of their own unique style. They wrote many killer songs, and the songs here are very well suited to the artists performing them in almost every case (this may be the most important job in producing one of these records, and is often overlooked). Elvis Costello does a great Ship Of Fools, and Lyle Lovett's Friend Of The Devil is perfect. Los Lobos rock the heck out of Bertha, and Hornsby is excellent on Jack Straw. The Indigo Girls do Uncle John's Band with beautiful, arresting harmonies. Dwight Yoakam's Truckin' is big fun. There are only a couple near the end that don't work, but overall a strong record, and a huge surprise.

Endless Highway The Music Of The Band 2007 I love the Band, and here's another source of great songs. This one has a disparate group of artists and shouldn't work. Besides, who can improve on a Band song? Answer: These artists. The Roches do their three-part harmony to breathtaking effect on Acadian Driftwood. It's the definitive version. Gomez tear through Up On Cripple Creek, Allman Brothers do a wonderful The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and Lee Ann Womack does the best The Weight since the Band's original. My Morning Jacket, Josh Turner and Death Cab For Cutie all perform well, and Rosanne Cash does a heartbreaking The Unfaithful Servant, maybe even bettering the original again. It's that good.

Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles 1993 This was a great idea. Eagles songs performed by country music stars. Really, it's hard to believe it took until 1993 for somebody to do it. Most of the arrangements are true to the originals, so it's really up to the singer to find the song. It happens a lot more than you'd think. Clint Black's Desperado is gorgeous. Alan Jackson's Tequila Sunrise, Diamond Rio's Lyin' Eyes, and John Anderson's Heartache Tonight are also excellent. Trisha Yearwood does a nice New Kid In Town, and Vince Gill turns in the most spectacular, pitch-perfect rendition of I Can't Tell You Why. It's hard to breathe while you're hearing it.

So there's a few tributes that don't make you want your money back. That alone would be high praise in this category, but all three of these are highly recommendable.