Published on Jan 4, 2001
Chances are, if you’re a fan of music like Jimmy Buffett’s, you
probably aren’t a fan of country or bluegrass music. Likewise, if
you’re an afficionnado of bluegrass, chances are you don’t have any
of Buffett’s discs in your collection.
So why does an album like
Pickin’ On Jimmy Buffett: A Bluegrass Tribute work so well?
Maybe it’s because the musicians who took part in this project
recognized that for all of the goofy good times that Buffett has
made a career singing about, there has always been more than a
little twang in Buffett’s songs and their delivery. What this group
has done, in effect, is they’ve stripped these songs down to their
bare essentials, and reminded listeners from all musical paths just
why they were so enjoyable to begin with.
In a sense, this disc is more than just a bluegrass album; it’s
a celebration on many levels. On one side, it’s a celebration in
the raucous joy that bluegrass music can be – and this is coming
from a person who is not the biggest country music fan in the
world. On another angle, it’s exciting to hear songs people
(probably) know so well with a different twist to them. But make no
mistake, musicians like Brent Truitt, David Talbot and Rob Ickes
approach these songs with reverence, refusing to stray far from
their original structure.
And maybe this works out best for all parties. After all, when
you take two forms of music that is almost always about joy and
send them on a collision course, the result has to be something
splendid. That’s the case with
Pickin’ On Jimmy Buffett: A Bluegrass Tribute. There’s
plenty of room for listeners to add their own vocals to the
instrumental versions of “Come Monday,” “Margaritaville” and “A
Pirate Looks At 40” while getting caught up in the revelry of the
music. (This doesn’t mean all the songs are sped up into frenzied
pickings; actually, many of the songs are performed in the same
tempos as the originals. Only “Son Of A Son Of A Sailor” gets
whipped into a frenzy… and this, too, works.)
One has to wonder what Buffett would think of hearing his songs
being sung by mandolins, banjos and fiddles instead of his own
voice. Something tells me he’d love it – and frankly, I could see
Buffett singing while these talented musicians backed him. It just
works, and it works well.
I don’t often listen to bluegrass music — to be honest, I have
precious little in the halls of the Pierce Memorial Archives. But
Pickin’ On Jimmy Buffett: A Bluegrass Tribute is a disc
which will be getting a lot of airtime when I just need something
fun to listen to. It might just bridge a gap between two musical
styles… but, then again, maybe that’s what Buffett has been
trying to do all these years.