What does it sound like?:
The album opens with a simple strummed mandolin introduction; and then the warmest sweetest vocal Ry Cooder has given in years as he launches into the Pilgrim Travellers 1950s gospel song ‘Straight Street’. Son Joachim comes in with some gentle drums, and, glory be, there’s the great team of Bobby King and Terry Evans (who has sadly died since this recording) together with Arnold McCuller with perfectly weighted backing vocals. It’s Cooder, it’s King and Evans, it’s a revived old American classic you’ve never heard before, and all’s right with the world.
The album is full of stuff like this. Cooder established himself in the early 70s as a one man curator and rediscover of American folk, blues and country song, and here he is doing it all over again.
There are two Blind Willie Johnson songs from the 20s and 30s. ‘Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right’ Has a wonderfully funky groove with superlative slide guitar, and backing vocals perfectly locked in. ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’ is funeral in pace; it’s dark and full of foreboding and fear, and as powerful a version as I’ve ever heard.
The title track and Rosetta Sharpe’s In His Care are irresistible driving gospel blues tracks in which King, Evans and McCuller excel themselves.
I’d never heard ‘You Must Unload’ before. Apparently it’s by Alfred Reed who wrote How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live, perhaps Cooder’s finest cover. This is similarly wonderful: a stern warning about jewel wearing, whiskey drinking Christians’ chances of getting to heaven, leavened by a sweet tune and some lovely fiddle. Blind Roosevelt Graves’ I’ll be Rested When the Roll is Called is another upbeat gospel tune from the 20s featuring Cooder on banjo. ‘Harbor of Love’ is a bluegrass Stanley Brothers song which Cooder turns here into a lovely wistful slow ballad with gorgeous slide guitar.
His own songs hold up well in this company. ‘Shrinking Man’ is a glorious loping racket of drums, slide guitar and wry vocals. ‘Gentrification’ features a puzzled narrator wondering why on Earth Johnny Depp and the Googlemen are buying up property in his run down area of town. In ‘Jesus and Woody’ Cooder gives us a simple affecting vocal over ringing acoustic guitar, and has both dreamers standing up against the vigilante man and the engines of hate. All three songs could be old songs about the past; all three are clearly about right now.
The musicianship, as you’d expect, is wonderful throughout. It has impeccable playing, and the looseness of a band playing live. both Cooders are at the top of their games, as are the vocal trio.
I can’t tell you how happy this record makes me feel. Wonderful songs, some of them almost a century old, performed with love, and immense skill and made utterly alive and contemporary. It’s just fantastic.
What does it all *mean*?
This album stands up for these singers and writers of the past, many of them poor and black. It honours them, and honours what their songs stood for, and by definition it’s as clear a rejection of Trump’s America as you could get.
Cooder is 71; he’s done it all, he’s hardly put a foot wrong throughout his career, and he’s still got the ability and desire to make a record like this. What a guy!
Goes well with…
An old porch, bottle of bourbon and a love of the blues.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Paradise and Lunch, Boomers Story or any of those great Cooder 70s albums.
Blue Boy says
Here you go (sadly without backing singers)
aging hippy says
There’s a nice Little Feat shuffle groove thang goin’ on here. Richie Hayward’ll be smiling down from heaven on Cooder Jr.
Tiggerlion says
This is a wonderful album. I can’t stop playing it. Since 2003, over ten albums, Ry has been very good to excellent. This caps them all. It is superb. As Blue Boy points out, rank it amongst his very best.
Blue Boy says
How do you get to ten Tigger? Are you including Delta Time, and if so is it any good? I haven’t listened to the Chieftains (which I had high hopes of but found a little disappointing) or Manuel Galban collaborations too many times, nor the Live in San Francisco record. Everything else over that time is great though including the songs about cats (My Name is Buddy is a lovely record). I can’t think of anyone else of his generation still producing work at such a consistent quality, and, in particular, still so politically and socially committed.
Tiggerlion says
Mambo Sinuendo, Chavez Ravine, My Name Is Buddy, I, Flathead, San Patricio, Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down, Election Special, Delta Time (a bit of a cheat, I admit), Live At a The Great American Music Hall and The Prodigal Son.
I love them all, including the one about cats and the other about cars.
Junior Wells says
Just playing it now. Back to his best.
Junior Wells says
Listening to Ry’s singing, which is wonderful, makes me wonder what he has been doing all these years. Not like Bob with his voice completely shot.
Baron Harkonnen says
Totally agree Junior. I was telling Black Cuntry Boy (@SteveT) the other day that apart from the song quality, what hit me most was RC’s voice and how good it sounded.
Kaisfatdad says
Thanks for banging the drum for this one, BB. Sounds like a real treat.
I don’t expect he will be touring it in Sweden (!!) but if we keep our eyes peeled there may be some good radio and TV appearances from California.
Gosh! Ry has his own YT channel. An old dog who has learnt some new tricks. Good for him!
and here he is talking about the song, The Prodigal Son.
.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Just listened to this Kai, dear god it really is good to alive!
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Brilliant review, brilliant record – “how happy this makes me feel” indeed!
retropath2 says
Sold. I lost a little love for Ryland as he produced records about cats and mexicans. This sounds home ground realised once more.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
I too thought those Cats and Mexicans records were just a tad too worthy but this, as you say, is back to vintage Ry
duco01 says
I loved “Chávez Ravine”, and didn’t find it ‘too worthy’ at all.
I must admit I haven’t heard the other ‘cats and Mexicans’ records…
Mike_H says
Another vote here for Chavez Ravine.
Baron Harkonnen says
Here 2
SteveT says
Was talking about this album with Baron earlier this week. We both agreed his voice is the best it has ever been. This will most certainly be in my top 10 come the end of the year.
Baron Harkonnen says
Posted above about our conversation BCB, good to see your memory is intact after 5 days, or is it 6?
Kaisfatdad says
Just read a mini interview with Ry who mentions that he and Joacquim had test driven several of these songs on tour with Ricky Scaggs…,.
Kaisfatdad says
Well, well. I think we need a bit more of that! That band were cooking!
Blue Boy says
Great stuff KFD. Am sorely miffed that I have only just realised he’s doing London and Glasgow (but nowhere else in the U.K.) in the Autumn and of course they’re sold out. Hope he’ll announce some more in due course.
Kaisfatdad says
A bit of demonstrative action needed perhaps?
Let’s send some mails and remind Ry how much love there is for him here in Europe.
He won’t do a ful tour but he might squeeze in a gig in for Edinburgh and Stockholm?
If the Swedes awarded him the Polar Music Prize, I suspect he would come to Sweden and get to hear First Aid Kit singing his songs.
That would be a treat!
Vulpes Vulpes says
I was at a gig last week with a couple of mates – a dobro teacher and a mandolin wizard – to see the very wonderful “I’m With Her”.
We were standing around in the inauspicious surroundings of Bristol’s worst Godawful venue, and old Fire Station called, er, “The Station”. Feck me these people are imaginative. Waiting for the band to come on, and hoping the temperature in the shed didn’t get much higher than the 35 degress it seemed to have already reached, talk turned to recently bought CDs and this one came up immediately. Suffice it to say that within 30 seconds I had whipped my phone out and ordered my copy, and blow me down if it isn’t exactly as described. Bloody wonderful.
Oh, and the “I’m With Her” gig? Fabtastic of course; the girls on sparkling form giving the new album a good seeing to and throwing in some old faves – opener Crossing Muddy Waters blew the cobwebs away, that’s for sure.
The venue? Avoid like the plague is my advice. An email of complaint to the organisers – The Colston Hall, falling down on the job for once – yielded a full refund with no questions asked.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
I know I should be at the Bob or Two Versions thread but this here is why I love this place: thank you Blue Boy
Blue Boy says
Right back atcha Lodes, and Vulpes. Have never heard I’m With Her before but based on that video I’m going to put that right – lovely stuff.
Kaisfatdad says
It seems that Ry and Joacquim have been touring in a “supergroup” with Ricky Scaggs and his missus, Sharon White, quite a bit. Both of them have an long, impeccable track record and the gigs must be a joy to attend.
https://www.popmatters.com/cooder-white-skaggs-carnegie-2495468013.html
Another YT clip? Don’t mind if I do!
In my first year in Sweden I studied for an important exam which would have a big impact on my future here. And the night before the exam, Ry Cooder played Gröna Lund. I had never seem him live and have not seen him life since.
I went of course and scraped through and got my qualification. And it was a doozy of an evening!
Junglejim says
My copy is arriving tomorrow by post, & based on on what I’ve heard so far & the comments of others, I’m in for a treat.
A new Ry album is always an event for me, he’s one of only a handful of artists I’ll fork out for on trust & he pretty much always comes up trumps.
I too love Chavez Ravine & I, Flathead particularly from the later stuff.
What merits a mention I think is how great his albums sound. Sonically they’re gorgeous & they really ‘breathe’ with loads of space left in the sound.
Always a treat on the groovy hi fi.
Kaisfatdad says
Young Ry on the Whistle Test. He is on fire!
Eyes peeled for Whispering Bob lurking in the shadows with a hosepipe!
Kaisfatdad says
Ok, it is visually perhaps a little lack-lustre. But just close your eyes and listen! A treat!
Junior Wells says
No live footage but this song off the newie is just lovely.
Blue Boy says
It certainly is. Cooder has always been able to put a real tenderness into a song. I mentioned How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live in the OP. Here it is from OGWT in 1982 Gorgeous, despite the noisy soundtrack.
There’s also a version on YouTube with Flaco Jimenez. By God, Ry can pick his musical collaborators can’t he?
davebigpicture says
I’m listening now on Spotify. Good, innit? I think my guitarist son would like it too.
Kaisfatdad says
I presume that all of you Cooderphiles know about this superb live set from 2011:
Ry Cooder and Corridas Famosas: Live
https://www.popmatters.com/176120-ry-cooder-and-corridos-famososlive-2495713137.html
The whole thing was filmed and released on DVD. You may find a streaming site that offers the entire gig. You will not be disappointed.