5196105798

Crowell: a linie slapped together

is Windham HilTs musical philosophy. bcst described as “New Age.” That phrase is intended by its proponents to characterizc a post-industrial subculture that cschews Western materialism and egocenlricity fora morę deeplyspiritual. eommunal definition of priorities.

Ali ol which sounds far morę esoter-ie than any ot' Windham HilTs records. Thus tar. the guitar-dommated label has seen its tirst substantial exposure through the sleeper suecess of pianist Georae Winston*s “Autumn.” a eon-tcmplative collection of solo picceschar-acterized by a lucid. spare impression-ism. Ackermans work reaches for a similar emotionalism while using the ditferent language of his elegant acoustic guitar and a hnger-picking technigue that he has polished to an easy tlow.

“Passage” exemplifies the hushed aesthetieat which he and his artistsexcel. On it. Ackerman exlends the solo focus of past recordings to build picjuant duets between hischimingsteel-stringacoustic guitar and piano (Winston himself). vio-lin (David Grisman*s frequent foil. Da-rol Anger). cello (Dan Reiter). anć hnglish horn (Robert Hubbard). His graceful chamber musie draws its shape from niodal folk musie and its poise from European elassieism. Aekerman*s primary instrument, a hand-built guitar madę by Kellie Johnson, has a dislinc-tivelv bell-like tonę eloser to that of a lute or harpsiehord than a sturdy steel-string dreadnought guitar tonę.

After earlier forays into half-speed

OhCFMBHR 1981 eutting and a eonsistenl emphasis on pressing cjuality. Aekerman makes his digital debut here. aehieving an utterly noise-frec sonie purity consistent with the musie itself. Ali of these elements further enhanee the meditative qualities of his approaeh. one that ean scem de-eeptively elose to baekground eoloring But when you*ve lived with the dise long enough. the inlegrity of the style stands revealed. Even the paekaging. whieh strongly reealls the eombination of elean type and stylish photography assoeiated with ECM. bespeaks the maverick aes-thetie of this fine group of artists.

-SAM SUTHERLAND

Rodney Crowell

*

Rodney Crowell, producer Warner Bros. BSK 3587

“Rodnev Crowell” isn’t the knoek-’em-

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dead reeord that the Texas-born singer/ songwntefs last LP was. “But Whal Will the Neighbors Think?”—with its honed-down rock. its mellifluous country bal-lads. and its consistently deft. double-edged lyrics—was one of I980’s best al-bums. Consequently. the follow-up is something of a disappointment: not bc-eause it isn’t good. it is. But ii sounds too easy and a little slapped together.

Of the ten traeks here. there are only three new Crowell eompositions: Stan on the Water. a kind of impressionistic country lunę fuli of blue lights shimmer-ing on Louisiana bayous; the loping. moodv Shatne on the Moon: and Viclim

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or a FooL a melaneholy. love-has-made-a-sueker-out-of-me number that fea-tures Hank DeVito’s eerie Steel guitar. These songs are Crowell at his best. They eombine the deceptivc down-home sim-plieity of straight country & western musie with a complex. modern sensibility and a sharp emotional edge.

Aparl from these. the most striking seleetion is Guy Clark s She Ain’t Going Nowhere. a starkly painted eharaeter study that boasts this stunnmg verse: “The w^find had its way with her hair/The blues had their way with her smile/She has a w'ay of her own/Like prisoners have a way with a file.” There are also some rollieking honky-tonk numben*. And on CroweIPs oft-eovered TH / Gam Contro! Again. the singer sounds boih proud and wraeked with despair.

The musieianship throughout “Rodney Crowell” is impressive. Baeked by his able eohorts the Cherry Bombs (L)eVito. F.mory Gordy. Jr.. Larrie I.on-din. Richard Bennett. and Tony Brown) and the everpresent English guitar wiz Albert Lec. it would be downright im-

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