By Ken Paulson — Pete and Maura Kennedy have successfully delivered the rarest of artist tribute albums – one that works as a celebration of Nanci Griffith’s songwriting while delivering subtle and skillful reinterpretations of some of her best work.
Tribute albums have fallen out of favor over the years, in part because of their sheer volume, and in part because the covers were so markedly inferior to the originals. That’s not the case on An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith (Paradiddle Records.)
The songs, from Griffith’s commercial breakthrough “Love at the Five and Dime” to the heart-rending title track, run to the familiar. But veteran artists like Tom Russell (“If I Were A Child”) and Jerry Jeff Walker (“Talk to Me While I’m Listening” ) offer fairly spare and intimate takes, while Red Molly’s “Lookin’ For the Time” and Sara Hickman’s “Listen to the Radio” are absolutely sprightly.
The album’s line-up:
1-Listen to the Radio -Sara Hickman
2-Trouble in the Fields- Caroline Doctorow
3- I’m Not Driving These Wheels-The Kennedys
4- If I Were A Child -Tom Russell
5- I Wish it Would Rain -Eric Brace & Last Train Home With Alice Despard
6- The Flyer- Amy Rigby
7-Talk To Me While I’m Listening- Jerry Jeff Walker
8- Gulf Coast Highway- Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry
9- It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go- Edwina Hayes
10-Last of The True Believers- John Stewart
11- Anyone Can Be Somebody’s Fool- Julie Gold
12-Lookin’ For The Time- Red Molly
13- I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love – Carolyn Hester
14-Love At The Five And Dime- Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart
Highly recommended.
Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @sun209com.