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that speaks/sings the lyrics according to realized here as a sturdy bluegrass shuf- Ramblin’ Jack Elliott: I Stand Alone. Ian how the spirit moves him. fle fueled by Cline’s whimsical dobro Brennan, producer. Anti 86814. Ragged but right, his voice is an punctuations. Music: ### Sonics: ### instrument of gentle spirit and great Sonically, producer Ian Brennan character. It strains at times—he almost close mikes Jack’s voice and guitar, dis- n a year when taps out vocally trying to reach for effect penses with any aural embroidery, and IBruce Spring- in what remains of his upper register in keeps all supporting instruments (heard steen captured the traditional suicide ballad “Willy only on seven of the 16 songs) at a dis- the vitality and Moore”—but never fails to hit the emo- crete distance in the background. He humanity of Pete tional markers. Elliott has a grand old understands it’s Jack’s show and, you Seeger’s cata- time turning T. Tyler’s honky- might say, stands back and lets it all be. logue, it seems tonk heartbreaker “Remember Me” on DAVID McGEE only fitting that Ramblin’ Jack its head with rumbling, chortling cho- FURTHER LISTENING: Bruce Springsteen: Elliott—compatriot to both Seeger and ruses, yet never lets the tearjerk get The Seeger Sessions; James Talley: Woody Woody Guthrie, and indefatigable away. Most of the record is simply Jack Guthrie and Songs of My Oklahoma Home champion of the American folk song— and his elegantly picked and strummed should have his own say in these mat- acoustic guitar, but a few numbers find ters. I Stand Alone, a title that has haunt- him with supple, understated support : Last Days of ing resonance at a time when most of from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Wonder. No producer credit. Carrot Top Elliott’s contemporaries are absent voic- X/Knitters drummer DJ Bonebrake, Records 040. Music: ## 1/2 Sonics: ### es, either dead or failing, doesn’t follow and guitarist/dobro player Nels Cline. the Springsteen model of injecting the Lucinda Williams shows up for a boozy ormer big- old tunes with a rock n’ roll musculari- duet vocal on Ernest Tubb’s “Careless Fcity dwellers ty; rather, Jack does what the Boss once Darling,” and sounds like she belongs. now residing in described as the modus operandi of the Conversely, Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Albuquerque, the poets of “Jungleland.” To wit, he stands Tucker is completely out of her element Handsome back and lets ’em all be, telling tall tales while warbling unsteadily on the ever- Family is the in a straightforward, reportorial voice green “Driving Nails In My Coffin,” husband and wife

Tom Petty’s American Homecoming Bob Gendron In a great frame of mind, Petty has left behind the acrimo- : Highway Companion. , , ny of 2002’s The Last DJ. Blacklisted by radio stations because and Petty, producers. American 44285 (CD and two-LP). of its condemnation of corporate broadcast logistics and Music: #### Sonics: #### unimaginative programmers, it remains Petty’s only not arley-Davidson. Jack Daniel’s. Marshall to achieve gold status. Kicked off with a variation on John Lee H Amplifiers. Fender Instruments. All Hooker’s universal “Boogie Chillin’” riff, the album-opening are connected at the hip to rock n’ roll and “Saving Grace” hums like a trusty Ford Mustang cruising down American tradition. To this list you can add the Pacific Coast Highway, the protagonist running from place Tom Petty. An artist that prototypically to place in search of inner peace and salvation. Outfitted with epitomizes pure American music, his recent playful and vivid rhymes such as “Pretend I’m Samuel deal with the American Records imprint Clemens/Wear seer-sucker and white linens,” “Down South” couldn’t be more fitting. The move reunites the 55-year-old witnesses more journeying, Petty reflecting as he plots a return veteran with label owner and producer , who to his roots, a prolonged vacation that sees him offer up his stock helmed the boards for 1994’s Wildflowers, Petty’s timeless sec- for a place to stay. “This Old Town” serves as a geographical ond solo album. Made only with Heartbreaker Mike Campbell metaphor for busted dreams, while the chugging “The Big and longtime associate Jeff Lynne, the casual Highway Weekend” is the opposite, a kick-up-the-dust anthem for escap- Companion is Petty’s first solo effort since, its dozen songs revis- ing life’s daily grind. iting many of his traditional themes—mystery, exploration, Throughout, Petty keeps arrangements simple and tem- self-discovery, wandering, leisure. pos steady, his nasally drawl in fine form. He turns inward on

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team of Brett and Rennie Sparks. White Stripes among them: after a Rennie writes dark and wittily wicked while, it’s pretty much impossible to Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly. lyrics filled with mystery, wanderlust, not become repetitious. James Austin and Cheryl Pawelski, produc- and violence (Greil Marcus has said they The opener, “Your Great Journey,” ers. Rhino 73346 (four CDs). contain “everyday surrealism”), sings a song about death, sounds a lot like Music: #### 1/2 Sonics: ### backup and occasional lead vocals, and many another Handsome title. The has been known to gently strum an music slowly chugs along to Brett’s eeking of sex Autoharp, banjo, or ukulele. Brett vocal while a plaintive pedal steel cries Rand Bardahl, writes the songs, plays a slew of instru- behind. “Tesla’s Hotel Room” picks up as sleek and swift ments, and records most of the couple’s in a similar vein, as does “These Golden as a Harley, and as music in their home studio on a Mac Jewels,” which to these ears seems like fleeting as its computer. The prolific pair has racked an ill-advised attempt to do Tom practitioners and up seven CDs since 1995’s Odessa. Waits, complete with a three-wheeled fans’ misguided Last Days of Wonder is the duo’s lat- carnival-wagon tempo, barely youth, rockabilly est, and it’s one of the partnership’s least strummed banjo, and woozy saw. has spent most of satisfying efforts. Oh, these two are tal- Things pick up on occasion, but sadly, its lifetime as an ented enough. At their best, Brett’s the record never reaches lift-off. underground twangy voice, simple tunes that typical- The sound is remarkably good given phenomenon since surfacing in 1953 with ly play to a country, waltz, or gentle the low-fi-high-tech recording technolo- Bill Haley and breaking out in 1954 at rock rhythm, and Rennie’s lyrics evoke gy. Vocals are clear, the odd array of Sun Records. Until the Stray Cats rocked the ugly-beauty of the American under- instruments sound quite natural and are this town in the early 80s, rockabilly’s lone belly. In the Handsome’s world, the nicely spaced, and the whole production, national hit had been Carl Perkins’s funhouse mirror is both cracked and which is basically Brett’s, has a warm, epochal “Blue Suede Shoes” (included irresistible. The problem with the new almost creamy quality. WAYNE GARCIA here). So why this box set of four CDs and record is one that faces most duos, the FURTHER LISTENING: The Handsome 101 cuts? Maybe because America has pro- Family: Singing duced precious little music as original, Bones; Jenny Lewis: deceptive simple, timeless—even as cul- Rabbit Fur Coat turally revealing of its time—as rockabilly.

the bare-bones “Square One,” a lullaby that along with the mournful “Damaged by Love” recalls his Wildflowers moods. Jangling chords, bushy acoustic strumming, and casual beats supply the foundations for Petty’s rhythmic bridges and punchy, to-the-point refrains. Campbell’s lead-, pedal- and slide-guitar accents color the lyrical images, and Lynne’s bass keeps grooves grounded. Cozy and warmly inviting, the music blows like a summer breeze, country and rock elements lend- ing looseness and snap. Petty sounds himself sounds rejuve- nated, relieved of pressures and eager to relay soulful tales con- cerning drifting travels and weary experiences. The producing collective takes a hands-off approach, the sonics glowing with golden hues and organic tones. Organ passages radiate; guitar strings have resonance and weight; instruments remain individually separated. The soundstage is open, wide, and airy, the brightly chiming intro to “Ankle Deep” evocative of a reunion of mem- bers. At the finish of the album-closing “Golden Rose,” a keyboard echo fades into the distance, the music pulling safely and soundly into the garage for the night. FURTHER LISTENING: Tom Petty: Wildflowers; Tom Brosseau: Empty Houses Are Lonely

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