TOWNES VAN ZANDT
A Far Cry From Dead (Arista)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Townes Van Zandt spent much of the last few years of his life recording material for a planned 60 song retrospective. While that project never came to fruition, he did leave behind a collection of basic tracks, the right to which passed to his widow, Jeanene. With the help of producer Eric Paul, Jeanene Van Zandt has resurrected a bakers dozen of those tracks, sweetened with the help of a group of ace musicians including guitarist Michael Spriggs, bassist Bob Wray, keyboardist Larry Knechtel and drummer Kenny Malone and a half a dozen others.

The result is an album that finally gives Townes Van Zandt's songs the production values that they deserve. There are some purists who will quibble with that assessment, and perhaps a couple of the tracks here could have been as effective with a bit less attention, but that's only another indication of just how good Van Zandt's songs were. It's the strength of the songs themselves that insure that musically, Townes Van Zandt is truly A Far Cry From Dead.

The production is done with affection for the artist and respect for the material, though, and increases the accessibility of the tracks for a broader audience than the straight guitar and vocal basic tracks might have found. That's a good thing, because while a good many people have heard Townes Van Zandt's songs, far too few have heard Townes Van Zandt, and anything that expands that number is a good thing. This might not be the perfect album for the hard core fan who wants the music stripped down to its emotional core, but it's a fine legacy for one of the very best of the Texas songwriters.

Track List:

Dollar Bill Blues * To Live's To Fly * Rex's Blues * Sanitarium Blues * Ain't Leavin' Your Love * Greensboro Woman * Snake Mountain Blues * Pancho And Lefty * For The Sake Of The Song * Waitin' 'Round To Die * Many A Fine Lady * Tower Song * Squash

© 1999 - Shaun Dale