Record Review 20: Levon Helm "Dirt Farmer"

Dirt Farmer





Soooo... what do you say about Levon Helm? Drummer, mandolin player, guitarist, bassist and ragged american voice for one of the quintessential American (Candaian) bands aptly called... “The Band”. The Band was originally “The Hawks” and at one time Levon and the Hawks. They made some good music but Dylan recruited them as his touring band in 1965 and 1966 and then they recorded The Basement Tapes with him and then went on to their own career which includes classic albums “Music From The Big Pink” and “The Band”. In classic over blown fashion they memorialized their swan song in the movie “The Last Waltz”. Helm’s status as cultural icon was more then sealed when Elton John recorded the song “Levon” about him.

Since that time Robbie Robbertson has had a minor but interesting career but Helm was always the interesting one in the group. His voice gave the textures to their great songs “The Weight”, “Ophelia” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. After the band broke up he continued to record and to act in a lot of movies, most significantly being in the picture “Coal Miners Daughter” and as the narrator of the movie “The Right Stuff”. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1990 which might have ruined his voice or... might have made it better depending on your own tastes. Helm has been hosting what he calls “The Midnight Rambles” on a regular basis over the past few years at his barn in Woodstock New York and among the hipster intelligentsia they have gained an almost mythic word of mouth. You can check out the Rambles as well as some unusual CD offierings at www.levonhelm.com.

He has not had a lot of solo material out there but the cancer and the midnight rambles have served togive him a sound and a voice that any alt-country fan can grab hold of and chew on like a bone. His new CD is a bunch of blues and country traditionals along with some originals written by other people. recorded at his studio in Woodstock his band includes Amy helm, Larry Cambell and Theresa Williams and they hold down a nice musical low end which sets up most each and every song for his plaintive, raspy, former tenor. Some of it is haunting along the lines that Ralph Stanley’s version of “Oh Death” was haunting but most of it just rolls like a river and is soothing in an earthy way that works you over from your gut to your brain.
“False Hearted Lover” kicks it off with a nice whine and twang and rolls right into the title cut where he adds an accordian and a fiddle. Both are traditionals but then he breaks into Steve Earle’s “The Mountain” which Earle recorded with the great Del Mc Coury Band and while this does not have that type of bluegrass sensibility it is kind of a wrencher. He adds the great guitar player Buddy Miller on vocals and it is a great cut. He rattles off a couple of more traditionals in “Little Birds” and “The Girl I lef Behind” before taking on Byron Israels “Calvary”. Calvary starts with a little guitar reminiscent of the late Chris Whitley and he rambles on giving you a little pump organ along the way. Good stuff. he does a song called “Anna Lee” next wish is about... Anna Lee.

He then does two songs by a guy I am not familiar with named Paul Kennerly. A little wikipedia research and googling tells me that he is an english singer song writer who was married to Emmylou Harris from 85-93. These are blusier songs set to nothing much more then Helm’s voice and a mandolin. he moves into a little sing along called “Single Girl” which has some nice backing vocals by Theresa Williams and then the traditional “The Blind Child” before closing with a bluesy ramble (yes I said it again) called “Feeling Good”.

The CD does not have an artsy feel. I wonder how long it took to make because it has an “I can do this all day” feeling to it but I am sure since it was recorded at his home studio that it probably labored over a ton. This is an excellent effort and for those of us that lived and died over The Band’s remake of Springsteens “Atlantic City” (everyone should download that on iTunes today) this CD really scratches an itch.
8 Slingers on the 10 scale