Month: September 2012

In more ways than one, American audiences are still catching up with this Canadian singer/songwriter. In fact, that tag illustrates how those of us south of the border are largely familiar with only one aspect of this multi-pronged talent.

His 2005 Rounder release, Speechless, revealed a side of Cockburn his Canadian fans were aware of since his early-’70s albums – his instrumental fingerpicking. In fact, the highly recommended album’s 15 tracks mixed brand-new works with selections dating back across the 65-year-old’s impressive catalog, which now numbers 31 studio albums.

His earlier instrumental work sometimes found him in a Kottkeesque mode (a Canadian cousin to John Fahey’s school of “America primitive guitar”), best represented here on “Bohemian 3-Step.” He also offers the rolling, cinematic “Lois On The Autobahn” and “Comets Of Kandahar,” which he aptly describes as “Django meets John Lee Hooker.” Both feature Jenny Scheinman’s violin, as does “Parnassus And Fog.” The new-agey “Ancestors” is a bit like Will Ackerman’s “Processional” with extra flourishes.

Cockburn’s fingerstyle dexterity is equally impressive when backing his vocals, as on the opening “Iris Of The World.” Though there’s nothing as pointed here as “If I Had A Rocket Launcher,” Cockburn shows his acerbic side on “Call Me Rose,” wherein Richard Nixon is reincarnated as a single mother living in a housing project.

The poignant “Each One Lost” is an anti-war song that’s as much humanist as political, while the catchy “Called Me Back” is pure silliness, about waiting for a phone call.

A popular award-winner in his home country, Cockburn is at least a cult hero in America. If you’re not yet among the cognoscenti, you should check him out.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

It’s been more than a decade since Robbie Robertson has issued a solo record, and closer to two since he offered a pop/rock disc. How to Become Clairvoyant is unique in the Robertson catalog in that it deals with new topics. “When the Night Was Young” is a soulful tale about The Band when it was still called the Hawks and was grinding it out on the road. Robertson’s tasty and perfectly placed guitar notes propel the song, and as on most cuts, he gets help from a friend – in this case an amazing vocal assist from Angela McCluskey. With the help of old buddy Eric Clapton, he addresses his departure from The Band on “This Is Where I Get Off.” He and Clapton, who appears on seven cuts and co-wrote a couple with Robertson, sound joined at the hip in terms of their playing; their solos glide together seamlessly, adding to the inherent soul of each song. Robertson’s departure from the group has been addressed in various forums and books, and his lyrical take here won’t surprise anyone familiar with the situation.

Robertson doesn’t have a classic rock-and-roll voice, but his has a soulful, lived-in quality that perfectly fits the thoughtfulness of these songs. Other players here are similarly plugged in to the subtlety of Robertson’s songs; Robert Randolph supplies perfect accompaniment on a couple, Steve Winwood joins Clapton on several, and Pino Palladino’s steady bass and the drumming of Ian Thomas lend perfect complement.

It’s become fashionable in some circles to blame Robertson for the breakup of The Band, but his solo work has always been more than solid and this will fit onto plenty of “best of” lists for 2011.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

“Unapproachable” is right. “Indescribable” may also be justified. Just like the myriad musics of Memphis, from where Tav Falco hails, his longtime band Panther Burns remains a fascinating and ongoing conundrum.

The band was named for a Mississippi Delta town where a marauding panther was trapped in a thicket and burned. The cries of that big cat echo on down through time in Panther Burns’ music.

Falco started the band in 1979, inspired equally by deep Delta blues and old-time country, beat poetry and surrealist theater, Howlin’ Wolf, Charlie Feathers, the Cramps, and one-time band member Alex Chilton. It was a wide-ranging, inspired background – all spiced by a generous sense of humor.

Relocating to Europe, Falco has kept the music alive while adding new influences, including Parisian
café music and Argentine tango. Conjurations is his latest, recorded “… in a secret studio in Saint Germaindes-Prés in Paris,” as Falco teases. The current iteration of the band includes drummer Giovana Pirrorno, guitarist Grégoire Cat, and bassist Laurent Lanouzière along with guest harpsichordist Bertrand Burgalat and Olivier Manoury on bandoneon.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.