Year: 2000
Label: Hightone
Review by Chris Nickson
Geoff
Muldaur's 1998 "comeback" album, Secret Handshake, was an undiluted
delight, raising great hopes for this. And he certainly has the names
to help him, talent like David Lindley, Wally Ingram, Dave Alvin,
fiddler Richard Greene, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and even trombonist
Roswell Rudd. The songs themselves are a mix of classics like Sleepy
John Estes' "Drop Down Mama," Charley Patton's "Some of These Days
(I'll Be Gone)," and the standard "Prairie Lullaby," among others,
along with some Muldaur originals, including his continuation of "Got
to Find Blind Lemon." In other words, all the elements that made his
last disc so magical are in place. So why doesn't this work in quite
the same way? It's a good question, and certainly not easily answered.
Maybe it's the fact that Secret Handshake was so good, the expectations
for this record were impossibly high -- and make no mistake, this is an
excellent disc -- too high to achieve. Or maybe the extra magic that
was there before just didn't arrive here. "Wait 'Til I Put on My Robe"
is a prime example. Based around Van Dyke Parks' pump organ, with
guitar from Alvin and harmonies from the McGarrigles, it's an offbeat
arrangement, and lovely. But it never quite gels, as if it's trying too
hard. Perhaps the best cut is a laid- back version of Eric Von
Schmidt's "Light Rain"; in comparison, the country & western
"Prairie Lullaby" with French horn, clarinet, and bassoon seems
wilfully eccentric, as does the inclusion of "Beautiful Isle of
Nowhere." It's good, but falls short of greatness. Still, good by
Muldaur is superb by most people.
Tracks
1 Kitchen Door Blues - Muldaur, Williama - 2:45
- Composed by: Muldaur, Williama
- Performed by: Wally Ingram, David Lindley
2 Drop Down Mama - Estes - 3:37
- Composed by: Estes
- Performed by: Dave Alvin, John Herron, Tim Emmons
3 At the Christmas Ball - Longshaw, Public Domain - 3:18
- Composed by: Longshaw, Public Domain
- Performed by: Bob Siggins, Fritz Richmond, Richard Greene
4 Wait Till I Put Down My Robe - Clay, Scott - 3:11
- Composed by: Clay, Scott
- Performed by: Dave Alvin, Greg Leisz, VanDyke Parks
5 Some of These Days (I'll Be Gone) - Patton - 4:07
- Composed by: Patton
- Performed by: Billy Watts, John Herron, Bill Rich
6 Mary of the Wild Moors - Public Domain - 3:42
- Composed by: Public Domain
- Performed by: Dave Alvin, Tim Emmons, Greg Leisz
7 Trouble Will Soon Be Over - Johnson, Traditional - 4:56
- Composed by: Johnson, Traditional
- Performed by: Billy Watts, Stephen Bruton, Bill Rich
8 Light Rain - VonSchmidt - 6:12
- Composed by: VonSchmidt
- Performed by: Alvin, DaveHerron, John, Bill Rich, Don Heffington
9 Prairie Lullaby - Hill - 4:50
- Composed by: Hill
- Performed by: Stephen Bruton, Sean Hopper, Richard Greene
10 K.C. Moan - Blackman - 4:40
- Composed by: Blackman
- Performed by: Leisz Greg, Fritz Richmond, Richard Greene
11 Beautiful Isle of Somewhere - Fearis, Pounds ... - 3:00
- Composed by: Fearis, Pounds, Public Domain
- Performed by: Richard Greene, Tony Strickland, Rufus Olivier,
12 Got to Find Blind Lemon, Pt. 2 - Muldaur - 4:04
not my rip | mp3 128kbps | w/ cover | 51mb