Although he tends to fly under the radar of most people in the UK, Darrell Scott is one of the most celebrated writers in the country/bluegrass scene with grammy nominations and ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Performers) awards to his name.
His previous albums have been excellent, but this, his first disc for Appleseed, is somewhat of a departure for him, but it’s also likely to be the album that will earn him some mainstream coverage over here.
Rather than his own songs, Scott has plundered tracks by some of the greatest singer/songwriters including Joni Mitchell, Guy Clark, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. The result is an album of stellar songs played by an eclectic group of musicians, UK folk stalwart Danny Thompson plays on every track and rubs shoulders with Alison Krauss, Mary Gauthier, Del McCroury, Andrea Zonn, Dirk Powell…and the list goes on to read like a who’s who of contemporary American musicians.
The familiar songs are dealt with in interesting ways, the beautiful bluegrass-lite reading of the Pat Methany Group’s ‘James’ stands out as a great arrangement of a real modern standard. Elsewhere, Paul Simon’s ‘American Tune’ although recorded by many people really hits the mark here, and the real focal point is Cohen’s ‘Joan of Arc’ which really sets the mark as a Modern Hymn in terms of both the lyrics and the arrangement on this collection.
This is a hugely enjoyable album from start to finish, and by putting together a collection of contemporary songs from the pens of various writers you know the songs are going to be of the highest quality, but it stands out as much for the arrangements and musicians who play over the 12 songs. Very highly recommended.
Track listing
1 All the Lovely Ladies
2 Urge for Going
3 Out Among the Stars
4 Jesus Was a Capricorn
5 Devil
6 James
7 Frisco Depot
8 American Tune
9 Nobody Eats at Linebaugh's Anymore
10 Joan of Arc - Mary Gauthier, Darrell Scott
11 I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
12 That Old Time Feeling
