This CD is discussed somewhere else, one of the "covers" topics, I think. I'm suffering from brain melt this weekend having - so far - attended one wake and TWO back-to-back graveside services, and getting my daughter to her first prom last night. And then I read in this morning's local paper that a classmate of mine was killed in an accident last night. Sheesh!
Anyway, as found in the Denver Post:
Raul Malo, "The Nashville Acoustic Session." CMH
You can never have too much of Raul Malo, the gifted vocalist who made the Mavericks one of country's best bands in the mid- to late- 1990s.
Malo's singing is what makes "The Nashville Acoustic Session" a must-have CD. And he gets plenty of help from his talented collaborators: guitarist Pat Flynn, Rob Ickes on Dobro and Dave Pomeroy on acoustic bass.
Song selection proves to be another big plus, since it gives Malo and these otherworldly musicians a chance to put their imprints on a variety of musical styles.
The 11-cut CD opens with a haunting version of Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" and moves to "Early Morning Rain." That Gordon Lightfoot tune alone gives "Acoustic" must-have status.
But other covers include "The Great Atomic Power" (Louvin Brothers), "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" (Bob Dylan), "Waiting for a Train" (Jimmie Rodgers), "Moon River" (Mancini/Mercer) and "Weary Blues From Waiting" (Hank Williams.)
The reunited Mavericks have a new critically acclaimed self-titled CD in stores. The group plays the Grizzly Rose on June 18.
- Ed Will
|