Peter Blackstock
, founder of
No Depression
magazine, is to be commended for organizing a tribute to
Mickey Newbury
's landmark early-'70s album
Frisco Mabel Joy
, a forerunner of the country-folk singer/songwriter movement that is also something of a lost gem despite its relative popularity (that is, relative to the meager sales of
Newbury
's other recordings) at the time of its release.
Blackstock
himself, in his liner notes, admits to not having heard the original until the early '90s, when he plucked it out of a bin in a used record store for a dollar. He has made up for lost time with this collection, even if the result doesn't really live up to the spirit of
's recording. That disc was a unique suite of songs and string-filled instrumental interludes that matched the spiritual hangover from the '60s to romantic distress and a drifting ethos for a portrait of a romantic loner. Though broken down into individual songs, it was really a tone poem. But by giving different songs to different performers for their interpretations,
defeats that unity of mood, especially when the interpretation is very different, as is
the Meredith Miller Band
's up-tempo treatment of
"Frisco Depot."
Michael Fracasso
on
"Remember the Good"
and
David Halley
"Swiss Cottage Place"
capture
's sense of emotional exhaustion well, and the inclusion of
Kris Kristofferson
singing
"San Francisco Mabel Joy"
(despite its title a song not included on the original album) is welcome. But like many tribute albums, this one is really a showcase for a group of relatively unknown performers. Still, if it draws attention to the
album, its purpose will have been served. ~ William Ruhlmann