![]() ![]() Colvin had already won a Grammy for “Best Contemporary Folk Album” (“Steady On,” 1991), before she became a major pop sensation with the song “Sunny Came Home,” winning the Grammys for both Song and Record of the Year. ![]() Of course, both of these artists have had long, storied careers. While well known in folk singer, alternative country and Americana circles, and aware of and fans of each other for over 30 years, it took a phone call from Colvin, fresh from touring with Mary Chapin Carpenter, to put together the tour that would ultimately lead to this recording. On their first recording together, established artists Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin capture the intimacy, creative energy and collaborative spirit that springs up organically when songwriters come together to sing their latest songs to and ultimately with each other. ![]() Whether gathered around campfires, informal living rooms or established music writer’s “In the Round” showcases at famous clubs like Nashville’s Bluebird Café, which lays claim to bringing artists like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift to the attention of the music world, when very young and just starting out. #Sunny came home mandolin fullNo amplifier, no digital delay or other guitar pedals, just a voice and simple chords on a guitar, with melody on full display.įor the longest time, folk and country singer/songwriters have this rich, full understanding at the heart of all great music, by gathering together and singing to and with each other. Another case in point: U2’s guitarist The Edge played previously dense, high-tech production of songs “Ordinary Love” and “Walk On,” and deconstructed them down to acoustic guitar and added a vocal choir to be performed in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Witness when bands like The Cure, or Nirvana, or Eric Clapton brought their most dense, electronically recorded works down to an acoustic performance for MTV Unplugged, or when Wilco takes a big chunk of barely musical noise like “Via Chicago” down to the barest of acoustic essentials for their Tiny Desk Concert for NPR. From Radiohead’s most technologically advanced works to the lush, orchestrated arrangement of classical genius, every genre and musical text of value can be brought down to it’s most elemental roots and be shared with a simple melodic core. More importantly, my second theory is that, come what may, every decent song that exists can be deconstructed down to its most basic elements and delivered on by a solo acoustic guitar or piano and voice. Oh, and heavy metal, two words: Spinal Tap. The ONE exception that proves the rule: modern jazz… it’s still there in the New Orleans second line and traditional jazz, but modern/avant garde jazz doesn’t have a rhythm you can count on, and therefore no polka. Once you start recognizing it, sooner or later you’ll hear it everywhere: bluegrass, jam bands, folk music of all kinds, country music, African American slave chants and spirituals, even orchestral classical music has it’s share. Same is true of old school punk, those mosh pits begin to feel just like those German beer barrel dance floors when the rhythm settles down to a slower groove. I’ve given this a lot of thought at hundreds of concerts and music festivals of every kind, but listen to Los Lobos get back to their acoustic Mexican roots and you’ll hear a polka, witness the accordion. The first is that deep down at the root of every genre of music there’s an ugly secret, and that secret is a polka. Fire Note Says: Colvin & Earle share a personal feeling in music here that is ultimately universal.Īlbum Review: As a junior musicologist (every music critic thinks they know everything, and don’t believe them when they tell you otherwise), I have a few pet theories about music. ![]()
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