RHR145 - Going Driftless - Tribute To Greg Brown

"Some of the most poignant & original songs of the past decade." - Utne Reader Royalties from the sale of this album go to benefit The Breast Cancer Fund, over $78,000.00 raised so far!

If you're familiar with Greg Brown's 16-CD catalog, you know it's more than good enough to justify this tribute album and the wider audience that the disc might help to bring. Certainly, it would be hard to imagine a better tribute than this one, which features consistently top-notch performances by both well-known and obscure female singer/songwriters. Most of Brown's best tracks are here, and they convey the full range of his talent -- the indelible melodies, the eye for detail, the ability to convey emotion, and the humor that runs through much of his work. Among the highlights: Lucinda Williams' reading of "Lately," which sounds so perfectly matched to her style that it could have been issued from her pen; Iris Dement's cover of "The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home," one of several tracks here that has the same sort of timeless feeling you get from the Band's music; and Shawn Colvin's lovely take on the lilting "Say a Little Prayer." ~ Jeff Burger, All Music Guide

Twenty years prior to the release of Going Driftless, Greg Brown sang about being a dad. "I'm a man who's rich in daughters," he boasted, tenderly. It's appropriate, then, that the most affecting song on this tribute album is a hushed, heartfelt reading of Brown's early rarity "Ella Mae," played and sung here by his three girls, Pieta, Zoe, and Constie. And while theirs is the disc's single best performance, there's much more here to recommend. Lucinda Williams (who opens the album with "Lately") and Iris DeMent ("The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home") are, like Brown, raw, emotive singers steeped in the blues, and their covers ooze with longing and ache. Ani DiFranco's jazzy "Poet Game" and Victoria Williams's playful "Early" offer new perspectives on familiar Brown songs. And while the likes of Eliza Gilkyson ("Sleeper") and Shawn Colvin ("Say a Little Prayer") come off a little too polished, each earns points for reviving terrific tunes from deep in Brown's catalog. One note: Royalties from this album go to the Breast Cancer Fund. - Anders Smith Lindall Amazon.com

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Track Listing

 01 - Lately - Lucinda Williams

 02 - The Poet Game - Ani DiFranco

 03 - The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home - Iris DeMent

 04 - Where is Maria? - Ferron

 05 - Sleeper - Eliza Gilkyson

 06 - Ella Mae - Pieta, Zoe & Constie Brown

 07 - Summer Evening - Gillian Welch

 08 - Small Dark Movie - Lucy Kaplansky

 09 - Spring & All - Mary Chapin Carpenter

 10 - Say a Little Prayer - Shawn Colvin

 11 - Early - Victoria Williams

 12 - Two Little Feet - Karen Savoca

 13 - Hey Baby Hey - Robin Lee Berry

 14 - Wash My Eyes - Leandra Peak