Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After close to five decades, Tom Paxton offers another outstanding album, 19 Jan 2008
Tom Paxton turned 70 on October 31, 2007. His debut recording, issued in 1962, was the live "I'm the Man Who Built the Bridges."
Few performers can maintain a viable and musically worthwhile recording career over such a long time span. This achievement is all the more remarkable as Paxton always stayed committed to his chosen musical style throughout an ever-changing musical environment.
He sure can look proudly at his influential catalogue of songs. It earned him, in 2002, the honour of an ASCAP lifetime Achievement Award in Folk Music. In Britain, 2007 saw him honoured when he received an official Parliamentary tribute. In addition, since 2002, he has received three Grammy nominations. I consider that, like Woody Guthrie's songs, Paxton's own are now also a part of Americana.
"Comedians & Angels" shows, one more time, that Paxton remains a vital artist. This fine collection features six new songs and nine new versions of previously released tracks. The six new songs are tracks 2, 6, 8, 9, 12 and 15. It does not worry me that Paxton revisits older songs, as they all sound fresh. Besides, I only own three of them and some of the others are now out of print.
Respected country producer Jim Rooney oversees the recording under review. Paxton is backed by a stellar band including Al Perkins (dobro and steel), Mark Howard (guitar), Tim Crouch (fiddle, mandolin), Dave Pomeroy (acoustic bass), Joey Miskulin (accordion) as well as Nancy Griffith, Barry & Holly Tashian on backup vocals. Phew! Together, they provide the kind of spare, tasteful support that suits Paxton's vocals so well. They also impart hints of country and bluegrass to Paxton's folk-based compositions.
The songs here largely deal with different aspects of love. Songs of remembrance and sorrow. Songs of joy and melancholy. Songs that reflect real events or songs that are the product of the artist's imagination.
Long term relationships mean a lot to Paxton, reflecting his own long-time love for Midge. Many of the songs here are dedicated to her, including the mid-tempo "Home to Me (Is Anywhere You Are)" (originally 1979) and the up-tempo "I Like the Way You Look", a new composition which displays Crouch's and Howard's talent on mandolin and guitar, respectively. The newly penned "Jennifer and Kate" is a beautiful paean to his two daughters.
The title track, another original, is a folksy, poignant tribute to his fellow stalwarts from the Greenwich musical scene. It has a strong melody. The humorous "And If It's Not True", another new composition, sees Paxton wandering through places and tales related to famous musicians and painters. Performed in 3/4 time, it features delightful, French-sounding accordion. The shining "How Beautiful upon the Mountain" (originally 1999) is also one of the best songs here.
The songs mentioned above are my favourites but there is no weak song in sight on this album.
I am confident that, like me, Tom Paxton's fans will embrace this album crammed with songs that always manage to sneak up on you in the end.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth a celebration!, 28 Jan 2008
Tom Paxton was 70 last year. His career in music has now spanned over 45 years. His latest album "Comedians & Angels", the first since 2001's excellent Grammy nominated "Looking for the Moon" should therefore, and not only in my opinion, be the cause of much celebration! It's an excellent album: Tom's voice is as good as ever and he has lost none of his considerable song-writing skills.
Tom has mellowed a little in his later career - he seems to be leaving his famous, witty protest songs for the live stage, allowing the albums to be a celebration of life and love. That's how Tom wants it: in the sleeve notes to this album he says "this album is made of songs of love", even to the point of claiming the album's opener, the excellent "How Beautiful Upon The Mountain" is a song of love to all of his fellow protest campaigners down the years.
So, love it is. It feels like a love album. About half of the songs on here are revisits to old songs that Tom has recorded before, something which he has often done on studio albums but which was absent from "Looking for the Moon". On his recent tour of the UK Tom's explanation for this was that "these songs are so old that they're new again"! Whatever the reason, he has chosen to re-record some of his most beautiful love songs - "Home to Me" and "You Are Love" are amongst my very favourite songs of his - even going back as far as the early 70s for "What a Friend You Are", which I'm sure was from the "Peace Will Come" album (criminally unavailable on CD) and which I haven't heard for about 25 years!
The old songs fit in well with the new to make for a really enjoyable album; "And If It's Not True" and "A Long Way From the Mountain", as well as the opening song, being my personal favourites.
A "mulled wine" album. An album for sharing with a loved one. An album for smooching, for smiling, even an album to shed a tear or two by. A gorgeous album from a wonderful artist!
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