Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute

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Free Music Notes for Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute

Free Music Review: Long Gone Daddy
Hit: 5 Stars

Why the attention? Well for one, the album itself is a virtual Who's Who of artists. Crow and Adams are in good company with Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams and even Dylan offering up a raspy "I Can't Get You Off My Mind" so chock-full of glee, he should've included it on the already happy Love and Theft as a hidden track. And with artists still cashing in on the public's fascination with America's bluegrass roots (thanks, Coen Brothers!) it's difficult to argue with the timing of this one. With little exception, the artists along for the ride go to great lengths to connect with their Inner Country.

While Petty sounds pretty much the sleepy Dylan incarnation on "You're Gonna Change (or I'm Gonna Leave)," who knew Sheryl Crow had it in her to deliver the goods, drawling and yodeling all over herself? If she can nail this so effortlessly, it'd do her well to leave behind the lifeless world of adult contemporary pap and knock off an album's worth of classic country faves. Really. Get Jewel as Backup Yodeler and hand her a ukulele to plunk along too. This is the stuff that saves singers' careers. If you got it, by all means flaunt it.

And it's when Adams really digs deep into his country roots that he makes good. He's already proved his worth since taking flight from Whiskeytown on both Heartbreaker and Gold. However, neither album has a song that comes even close to sounding as raw and stripped as "Blues." If it had hands, it'd applaud itself. Placing his naked, warbling vocals against just a violin and acoustic guitar is genius. Add a wee sigh at the beginning and the song sounds so tossed-off, it's as if Adams is saying, "Yeah. I can do that. Got anything harder?" End result? He sounds more like The Man than those who should have rightly been passed the crown (Hank Williams III, "I'm A Long Gone Daddy").

As a whole, this collection is little more than a celebration of good music dotted with falsettos and some yodeling stints. With a couple of excusable exceptions, the dozen numbers here ooze a hell of a lot of joy. Letting Keith Richards tackle "You Win Again" was a mistake and Keb' Mo' does a splendid job of wrecking "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Lucinda Williams, on the other hand, dishes up the perfect example of thinly masked restraint on "Cold, Cold Heart." It's a performance to draw tears: whether of joy or sorrow is entirely dependent on your outlook.

Will these renditions prove as timeless as the originator? It's worth a shot.

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