Sheila was out for dinner tonight
and I had to fend for myself. I’m not much of a cook and I could’ve had soup or
canned ravioli but I gave in to temptation on the walk home and stopped for
pizza instead. I regret nothing.
Disc 921 is….Colvin & Earle
Artist: Shawn
Colvin and Steve Earle
Year of Release: 2016
What’s up with the Cover? Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle
take a walk together. This is the most dressed up I’ve seen Steve Earle in a
decade. Shawn must’ve called and reminded him it was picture day.
How I Came To Know It: I didn’t even know this album had
happened until I saw it on the new arrivals shelf at a local music store. Steve
Earle has rarely steered me wrong, so although I knew Shawn Colvin only in
passing I decided to give it a shot.
How It Stacks Up: I have no Shawn Colvin albums but many by Steve
Earle. None of that is relevant here, as this is a one-off duet record, and so
stands alone.
Ratings: 2 stars
As I noted
earlier Steve Earle has rarely steered me wrong, but on “Colvin & Earle” I
certainly didn’t feel steered right. This album isn’t bad, but I spent most of
my multiple listens wishing it was better.
The
record is a blend of Colvin and Earle’s respective folk styles, and they sing
harmony on almost all of the tracks. The harmonies were so loose I found them
discordant and distracting, however. It was so distracting I took to the
internet to find out what those kind of harmonies are called so I could avoid
them in future.
Apparently
it is called “cross harmony” and the discordance is intentional. In an
interview for the Guardian, Earle is quite proud of the fact that they happen “naturally”
when he sings with Colvin. That may be so, but it wasn’t for me. If that means
I’ve got an unrefined ear, so be it, but I like my harmonies to get along
better. By the
way, I’d link to the Guardian article but the writer claims the album has only
two cover tracks on it and there are four. That’s just something you’ve gotta
fact check, people. But I digress…
The
tracks that are written by Colvin or Earle (or both) didn’t have the emotional oomph
that I expect, at least from my experience with Earle’s songwriting. Also, while
I could tell they were trying to do the album in a very traditional style the
result was that a lot of the tracks feel stale. “Tell Moses” is full of religious metaphor but I couldn’t tell if
they were paying homage or just trying the style on for size. The musical
exercise didn’t translate to the album and made the whole song feel
disingenuous.
As folk
albums often do, the record has four covers
(five if you count the Beatles song in the bonus tracks). Two of these (John
Loudermilk’s blues-rock classic “Tobacco
Road” and the sublime “Ruby Tuesday”
by the Rolling Stones) had me wishing I could hear the originals instead.
Colvin & Earle don’t do a bad version of either, but in converting them to
a more traditional style the energy of the original didn’t translate. At least “Tobacco Road” has a more traditional
tight harmony which was a welcome break from the “cross harmony” everywhere
else.
The other
two covers are very good, and are standouts on the album. Emmylou Harris’ “Raise the Dead” is excellent. When I
first heard it I thought “this would sound great sung by Emmylou Harris!” which
is how I found out it was her song. It is from a 1999 duet album with Linda
Ronstadt called “Western Wall” which I am now looking for.
“You Were On My Mind” is a very pretty
cover of an Ian and Sylvia Tyson song. Not only are Colvin & Earle up to
the task, I think they give this song even more emotional impact than even the
legendary Tysons managed. Kudos!
One
original song really stood out as well. “The
Way That We Do” has strong songwriting and it helps that Earle and Colvin
take turns on the verses rather than trying to sing harmony at first. This strangely
helps the discordant harmonies work better later on when they are introduced
halfway through.
There
are some pretty tracks on this album for sure, and it gets better as it goes
along but not enough of it resonated with me, or it resonated in a way that
didn’t feel comfortable. Despite this record being new to my collection, I must
reluctantly bid it an early adieu and send it to a home where it will be better
appreciated.
Best
tracks: The Way
That We Do, You Were On My Mind, Raise the Dead, That Don’t Worry Me Now
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