Firstly a gripe- when I pre ordered this album only this edition was available, the deluxe version wasn't even mentioned, now is this possibly ameans of trying to extract more cash from me....?
Anyway, the music, the lyrics, yes the lyrics, the ones left behind by the great revolutionary folk meister Mr W. Guthrie.Because Jay et al have drawn inspiration from Mr Guthrie, same was done by Jays old mate, Jeff Tweedy along with Billy Bragg on the album 'Mermaid Avenue'. A bunch of words, written in the 1930s, that had never previously been put to music.This album being released 100 years since Guthrie was born, it is clearly intended to be a devotional album in every sense and part of Jays lifelong love of Guthries work.
Jay Farrars musical career is littered with Guthrie references, such as naming a Son Volt album after Guthries birthtown.
But the addition of music is done without any attempt to engender these lyrics with that traditional folksy lilt that Guthrie always had. These songs have a very modern, alt americana feel (what else!). Yim Yames vocals are superb, Jay adds the inevitable twang, with Will Johnson and Anders Parker each adding an authentic alt country element to the album. Each artiste gets three songs each to sing, with the others adding harmonies along with instrumental accompaniment.
I have little doubt that the music is quite far removed from what Guthrie would have envisaged, but thats not really the point, its the timelessness of Guthries words that are the highpoint of this album.
This album doesn't push any boundaries, in fact it plays it fairly safe , some of the arrangements being fairly basic, is this possibly deliberate? Possibly so, with the likelihood being the four contributors wanting to give respect where its due? Farrar, when asked how did they arrive at the music replied "A connection would jump out with a certain set of lyrics or notes and the music would just be there", this after the four had spent some time sifting through the archives and imbuing themselves with Guthries politics and philosophy. So we have four musicians who have taken the project very seriously and conjured up a fine album, thats heartfelt and imbued with integrity.
It will not blow you away, well not musically anyway, but if it introduces a new generation to Guthries work, or maybe re-affirms its importance to an older generation then this album has done its job.
But do yourself a favour- get the de-luxe edition, its got an additional 11 tracks for just a few quid more