While not as prolific as
Bob Dylan
,
Paul Simon
, or
Neil Young
, the prototypical folk-rocker
Tim Hardin
remains one of the greatest singer/songwriters, as much for his masterly delivery and subtle, jazz-inflected accompaniments as for the enduring songcraft of his classics "If I Were a Carpenter," "Reason to Believe," "Misty Roses," and "The Lady Came from Baltimore." Opening with "Carpenter," a song on the same level as "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Norwegian Wood,"
Tim Hardin 2
is a lovely, all too brief set from tune heaven. An unlikely highlight might just be its very last song, "Tribute to Hank Williams," which sounds nothing like a country song, but manages in just a few lines to bring the myth of
Hank Williams
forth into the beautiful chaos of the '60s: "Goodbye Hank Williams, my friend. I didn't know you but I've been to places you've been." ~ Richard Mortifoglio