GUY CLARK
The Dark (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

---

Guy Clark's back with another collection of instant classics. While the only familiar track here is a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Rex's Blues," Clark's eleven originals (co-written with an all-star team of collaborators including Shawn Camp, Terry Allen and Keith Sykes, among others) sound as familiar in their own way as the Townes tune. Part of the reason is the straightforward, country-folk arrangements, mainly featuring the crew, headed by Darrell Scott and Verlon Thomas, that made his last release, Cold Dog Soup, so successful. Along with Scott and Thomas there are musical cameos by Camp, co-producer Chris Latham, labelmate Tim O'Brien and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.

The main reason the music here seems so comfortably familiar, though, is Clark himself. His vocals are better than ever - there's a time-worn quality to his voice that's very appealing - and his ability to put just the right, if not always the expected, word in just the right place is without peer among contemporary country songwriters. It's no accident that an earlier Clark collection was titled The Craftsman. While Clark regularly tips his hat to his old comrade Van Zandt (Townes was best man at Clark's wedding), he's the consensus choice as the heir to Van Zandt's legacy as the dean of Texas songwriters.

It's hard to pick favorites from this one after just a few listens, but forced to choose I'd probably program "Arizona Star," "Homeless," "Bag Of Bones" and "Queenie's Song" into any desert island compilation of great current country. Happily, I'm not destined for a desert isle anytime soon, so I can listen to all twelve tracks over and over again.

Track List:

Mud * Arizona Star * Magnolia Wind * Soldier's Joy, 1864 * Dancin' Days * Homeless * Off The Map * Bag Of Bones * She Loves To Ride Horses * Rex's Blues * Queenie's Song * The Dark

© 2002 - Shaun Dale