Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt

Various Artists
Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt

Let's just admit it already. Most tribute albums are solely enjoyed by the people who played on them (and maybe their significant others), and the very thought of covering a collection of songs by the patron saint of melancholy Americana folk music is a pretty ambitious notion. But this one couldn't have been done better. First of all it begins with Townes Van Zant's right-hand man Guy Clark warming up "To Live Is to Fly," with his scratchy signature voice floating over accordion drones, muted drumming, mandolin arpeggios and beautiful Dobro slide guitar. Emmylou Harris turns "Snake Song" into a stripped-down dirge with sparse banjo notes falling around her hushed rasp as haunting guitar notes slowly seep in. John Prine gives "Loretta" a similarly subtle beauty and if Lucinda Williams' shaky and pained version of "Nothin'" doesn't move you even just a little bit, there's a good chance that music may be none of your business. Jimmie Dale Gilmore's endearing warble kicks off the Flatlanders' take on "Blue Wind Blew," but it's Willie Nelson's heartbreaking version of "Marie" that conjures the essence of Townes Van Zant's tortured musical soul.

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