It often spells trouble when one artist is so smitten with another that he decides to pay tribute to his hero with an album's worth of songs crafted in the inspiration's image.
David Massengill
, a singer/songwriter with Tennessee roots who's spent his entire career as an integral part of the New York City neo-folk crowd, offers his nod to the late
Dave Van Ronk
with this 18-song set, and there's no trouble to be found: this is a tribute record that succeeds in doing what it sets out to do.
Van Ronk
was a larger than life figure on the Greenwich Village scene for decades -- his autobiography was titled
The Mayor of MacDougal Street
and no one's yet challenged that self-bestowed honorarium. There isn't an important '60s folkie who would deny
's brilliance or importance --
Bob Dylan
, for one, has openly acknowledged his debt.
Dave on Dave
finds
Massengill
, at fifty-something comparatively younger than the '60s cats, covering songs both written by
or adapted by him, as well as offering a few original compositions that attempt to address
's oversized personality and talent. In order to capture the essence of
, a serious rasp would need to be employed, and
delivers, though not so much so that he mimics;
never tries to ape
so much as embody what made him a force.
also nails
's homey, engaging vocal easiness. Translating
's superb fingerpicking guitar technique to
's primary instrument, the dulcimer, is a little trickier, but
manages, and his own guitar work, though not as skilled as
's, is impressive in its simplicity and melodicism.
turns in spirited, loving interpretations of songs from the
catalog, among them perennials like
"Candy Man Blues"
and
"He Was a Friend of Mine"
and relative obscurities such as
"Zen Koans Gonna Rise Again"
"The Old Man."
But the most touching tributes are the songs written by
: "I know that when I see a falling star, it's just the ash of
's last cigar," he sings. You just know
would have loved that line. ~ Jeff Tamarkin