This entry is actually one disc, that was originally two records, so this review is a 2 for 1 deal, just like the album.
Disc 53 is...Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame AND To the Bone
Artist: Kris Kristofferson
Year of Release: 1975 (Who's To Bless...) 1981 (To the Bone)
How I Came To Know It: I have known Kris Kristofferson since my Mom listened to him when I was a child. I first reviewed him back on Disc 39 of the Odyssey, so I'll try not to be repetitive. Mom owned "Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame" so I know that album fairly well, but "To The Bone" I hadn't heard until I got this package deal.
How It Stacks Up: I have eight Kristofferson records now, of which I know six fairly well. "Who's To Bless" I'd put 2nd or 3rd. "To The Bone" is at best 7th, and maybe 8th.
Rating: "Who's To Bless" gets a solid 3 stars. To The Bone gets a bare 2.
I won't get into the basics on Kristofferson since I covered those back at Disc 39 (great songwriter, remade a lot, kick ass vampire killer etc.). I'll focus on these two albums.
Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame
I really liked this album, even with its faults. It is strong mix of political songs like "The Year 2000 Minus 25" which I think must be about the Vietnam War, to some strong 'booty call' work in "Easy, Come On" and "Stranger" to his tough break up stuff with "Who's To Bless And Who's to Blame"
This latter song I think was the "hit", but it is hard for me to tell. I grew up with this album, so all the songs sound very familiar. In any case, I really like the title track, which is a longing song about heartbreak, and how it is hard to lay blame in a failed relationship, because when things go wrong, they just go wrong - there aren't any clear cut villains.
More than his first album, this record augments Kristofferson's voice with back up singers and more interesting musical arrangements. As Sheila rightly pointed out to me, he is kind of an American Leonard Cohen (during Leonard's late 70s/early 80s sound). Did one of these artists steal the other one's sound?
It doesn't matter - as Kristofferson points out himself in "Don't Cuss the Fiddle":
Don't ever cuss that fiddle boy
Unless you want that fiddle out of tune
That picker there in trouble, boy
Ain't nothin' but another side of you
If we ever get to heaven, boys
It ain't because we ain't done nothin' wrong
We're in this gig together
So let's settle down and steal each other's songs
Bottom line, while there are some forgettable tracks on this album, overall it is strong, with a few really memorable songs. Good for 3 stars.
To The Bone:
By contrast, 1981's To The Bone is simply not that strong of an album. It is a hard core break up/divorce album. These can work, but this one doesn't. Most of Kristofferson's talent is squandered in songs that come off as too angry or too pathetic. It is too bad, because I like his work, but every artist is due for a clunker once on a while. This album is Kristofferson's.
So my goal is to find a CD release with just "Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame" that has quality recording production. Then I can de-pair this terrible connection for ever more. Overall, though it is worth having. And although Sheila doesn't really like Kristofferson, I think we can all agree he is a good guy to have around if you are having a battle with vampires.
Best tracks:
Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame: The Year 2000 Minus 25, Stranger, Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame, Don't Cuss That Fiddle.
To the Bone: Magdalene, Blessing In Disguise
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