Rating: NNNN
American troubadour Greg Brown lost an album’s worth of material during a thunderstorm and ended up writing a new collection of songs for his 24th disc. Only the title track – a gutsy, emotional take on identity – remains from the original list.
That thunderstorm was a blessing: this is an easy, earthy listen and a snapshot of a great writer still in his prime. The material alternates between gentle, fingerpicked love songs and bluesier takes on the United States. Brown’s gravely baritone is welcoming and playful.
In lesser hands, rockabilly moments and the occasional noodly guitar line from producer and long-time collaborator Bo Ramsey might be weaknesses, but not here. Start with toe-tapping flirtatious opener Someday House or try the talking blues of I Don’t Know Anybody In This Town. Brown also covers his wife, Iris DeMent’s, classic Let The Mystery Be and his daughter, Pieta Brown’s, Remember The Sun.
Top track: Someday House
