Tuesday, June 12, 2018

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DAVE ALVIN AND JIMMIE DALE GILMORE - DOWNEY TO LUBBOCK

Here are two troubadours who took different paths but ended up at the same destination. Alvin came out of California and the punkish roots of The Blasters, while Gilmore was an instigator in the country folk of Texas. But its clear it's all the same thing in this set. In a first-time collaboration, Gilmore and Alvin tackle a set mostly of classic Americana, churning their way through just about every influence they've had, like they couldn't wait to make music together and can't decide what to do next, there are so many options.

Alvin and Gilmore co-wrote the title cut, a fun biographical nod to their hometowns and the roads they've taken. Alvin brought one more original, Billy the Kid and Geronimo, two icons with something to say about these days. The rest run from blues (Lightnin' Hopkins' Buddy Brown's Blues), folk (Guthrie's Deportees) to early rock (Lawdy Miss Clawdy), delivered with either Gilmore's distinctive twang or Alvin's lived-in gruffness. The common trait in everything, from the material to the partnership, is authenticity. Even when Gilmore pulls out the chestnut Get Together, he manages to remind us it actually had a great message and lyric before being a hippy cliche. Meanwhile, Alvin brings passion and fire, obviously relishing the opportunity to play with a fellow traveler. Live shows and a promise of more to come make this feel like a beginning rather than a victory lap.

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