Tuesday 28 May 2013

John Baizley, Nate Hall, Steve Vin Till & Scott Kelly- Songs of Townes Van Zandt 10” EP


John Baizley, Nate Hall, Steve Vin Till & Scott Kelly- Songs of Townes Van Zandt 10” EP

More songs from Townes Van Zandt by some of your favourite musicians. What's not to like?

John Baizley kicks things off in idiosyncratic fashion with “If I Needed You” opting for a vocal duet over a sweet country guitar line. It is good to hear anything at all from Baizley, considering his horrendous accident in 2012, so this is most welcome. Talented artist, talented musician.

“A Song For” is Nate Hall's Contribution and brings a sombre mood with a reverb drenched vocal. A fine contribution from this singer songwriter.

It really is a family affair here as Steve Vin Till sounds absolutely inimitable with “The Spider Song” (it really couldn't be anyone else) and Neurot records roster looks formidable indeed.

Scott Kelly, another public face of Neurosis, gives us “St John The Gambler” with its western stylings and lonesome sound. It rounds off the EP well. The styles of the contributors are all different, sure, but the work of Van Zandt unifies it all together so that every track is well placed and unified, somehow, in approach.

If you haven't explored the original work of Townes Van Zandt, why not do so? With artists of this calibre paying tribute and with Steve Earle giving his son the middle name of Townes... you really cannot get a higher recommendation, surely?

Written by Richard Maw

John Baizley, Nate Hall, Steve Vin Till & Scott Kelly- Songs of Townes Van Zandt 10” EP  is available to buy on My Proud Mountain Records. Well if there are still any copies left over from Record Store Day.