Dave Alvin - Blackjack David

With the alt country rockabilly movement making a comeback, much attention has been focused on Dave Alvin. Alvin has been associated with several great bands like The Blasters, X, The Knitters, and The Guilty Men. A couple of things we must not overlook for praise are Alvin’s songwriting and solo song performances. Alvin won a Grammy in 2000 for his traditional album Public Domain. Even this does not sum up Alvin’s depth.”Black Jack David” is a traditional blues song whose storyline can be traced back before the birth of Christ. During the 1920s and 1930s, the song was standard fare for blues and hillbilly artists. It was recorded by the Carter Family in 1940, and Sun Records released Warren Smith’s 1956 version. Alvin’s version is traditional, faithful, and enlivening.

On this 1998 release, Alvin emotes like you wouldn’t believe. When great songwriting and passionate performance combine, they make a recording that should be listed in the “Must Have” column.

“Abilene” is a country/blues/rock song that touches the humanity in all of us. The familiar story of a former runaway fleeing a string of abusive relationships (including her parents), trying to come to terms with how it affects her current life, while resorting to table-dancing to scrape up enough money to start fresh, etc.

“New Highway” is jaunty blues narrative with a killer acoustic bassline that has the listener tapping toes in time. “My Kansas City woman’s got skin as white as snow…”

Dave Alvin teamed up with Tom Russell to write “California Snow” and the results are amazing. Russell is a talented songwriter in his own right, and teaming him with Alvin is like putting Martin and Lewis together and telling them to have a good laugh. “I Hate The Way You Say Goodbye” is like listening to John Lee Hooker sing a sad country song with some great bottleneck slide action to go along.

“Mary Brown” is as good a traditional folk song as you’ll find, especially the way Alvin sings it. “Laurel Lynn” is a full-tilt front porch jam, complete with accordian, fiddle, acoustic guitars and bass. There are echoes of the post-Vietnam questioning excercises common enough in “1968″.

The CD’s big triumph is “Evening Blues”. I would have to say that this is one of the most sensual songs I’ve ever heard. You can feel everything he’s singing about and more. Finger-picking and slide guitar combine to bring out Alvin’s mournful vocal eulogy for a relationship in its death throes, “I wish that I could hold you, but you seem so far away…”

The music from this CD will sit next to you at the neighborhood bar and listen while you cry in your beer, patting your hand affectionately and offering solace. A perfectly fine time spent with your ears wide open.

Reviewed by Diana (Vaguememory)

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