Published on Mar 17, 1998
For someone with his roots solidly steeped in the old style of
country music, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott sure has a wide variety of
friends.
More of a combination folkie-cowboy rather than a pop-radio
friendly country musician much like Hank Williams, Sr., Elliott
calls upon some of the people he has helped influence over the
years to compile
Friends Of Mine, his latest disc. And while most of the
general public might pass by this disc, those that do take the
chance with it will be mildly surprised with the gentle ballads
that compromise its 12 songs.
Elliott’s vocals have been weathered by life on the road, but
they never fail to deliver their message, nor do they distract the
listener. Although it sometimes is questionable why Elliott would
go after higher ranges, he somehow makes it work, as evidenced by
his duet with protest-folk legend Arlo Guthrie on “Riding Down The
Canyon”.
And you have to admit that pairing Elliott with alternative
godfather Tom Waits was a move of pure genius – their rendition of
“Louise” makes me want to go check out more of Waits’s work.
Likewise, the mandolin work of Peter Rowan (though I admit I can’t
tell which vocals are his) is the perfect foil for Elliott’s
tongue-in-cheek recitation of “Me And Billy The Kid,” a track I
kept going back to.
But overall, the duets Elliott takes part in have an air of
comfortable laziness about them – it just sounds like old friends
getting together and singing a song or two. The two numbers with
Jerry Jeff Walker are wonderful, while the only “trio” on the album
(Elliott with Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith on “Rex’s Blues”)
is a natural pairing that should be further explored. Even the duet
with John Prine is as right as peanut butter and chocolate – who
else would be better suited to sing “Walls Of Red Wing,” besides
maybe Merle Haggard?
There are a few links that are – well, they’re not
weak, but they’re not as strong as the others. The pairing
with Guy Clark on “Dark As A Dungeon” does nothing for me, and I
have to admit I was disappointed to hear Bob Weir relegated to
backup singing on a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The
Devil”. (I also missed hearing David Grisman’s mandolin, though Roy
Rogers comes through with some work on the steel guitar.)
The two songs on
Friends Of Mine which feature Elliott as a solo artist are
hit-or-miss. The cover of “Reason To Believe” is quite enjoyable,
while the spoken-word tribute to Bob Dylan, “Bleeker Street Blues,”
just doesn’t evoke anything in me. (Elliott wrote this song while
Dylan was hospitalized with heart problems last year.)
In one sense, it’s more difficult to pigeonhold
Friends Of Mine as “just country” or “just folk”… or just
anything, for that matter. Elliott is able to take the best
of both worlds and create a music that sounds as native to the West
as it would in New York City.
Friends Of Mine shows the world that not only can country
and folk merge, but even elements of rock can fit in quite well
with this world. Here’s hoping people are willing to give this
troubador a chance to work his magic on their eardrums.