Songs And Stories
by: Guy Clark
(Dual Tone Music)
Guy Clark's Songs And Stories was recently recorded live at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. This collection culls Clark's most memorable material. The backing band on this album includes Kenny Malone (drums), Bryn Davies (bass), Shawn Camp (guitar/mandolin/vocals) and Verlon Thompson (guitar).
Texas-born Clark established himself in the 70s as a talented songwriter. He hung out with Townes Van Zandt, Lightning Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb where he surely picked up a thing or two about songwriting. Over the years, musicians such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Ricky Scaggs, George Strait, Vince Gill and the Highwaymen covered his tunes with success.
His first hit, "L.A. Freeway", opens Songs And Stories. Clark talks about writing the next song titled "Maybe I Can Paint Over That". He tells another story about Townes Van Zandt's parakeets before Clark renders a fine version of Van Zandt's "If I Needed You". Clark describes "The Cape" as a number about (an eight-year old) jumping off the garage." "Homegrown Tomatoes" exists as one of the finest songs ever written about a vegetable. Talk about songcraft...
Clarke allows his band to excercise their dexterity on "Sis Draper" and "Magnolia Wind". Clark gives a nod to Rodney Crowell before singing a song they co-wrote called "Stuff That Works". "Out In the Parking Lot" revolves around a West Texas outdoor party, and this version really resonates. Clark revealed he wrote "The Randall Knife" on the occasion of his father's death. This spoken-word composition reads like a flawless short story. The final cut on Songs And Stories, perhaps Clark's best known song--"Dublin Blues"-- still makes the heart strong after all these years. Guy Clark's songs go down like a fine shot of rare whiskey. Songs And Stories counts as a rare batch...
James Calemine
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