Alimony/France Chance/One Meat Ball/Do Re Mi/My Old Kentucky Home/How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live/Available Space/Pigmeat/Police Dog Blues/Goin' To Brownsville/Dark Is The Night
Eponymous debut album from Los Angeles guitarist and session musician Ry Cooder. It features his interpretations of Americana roots music, mostly from the 1930s.
“This is a very competently made album but I have yet to raise much enthusiasm for Americana. This might be because to discover its pleasures, I would need to know the land it comes from, and discover its roots. The album does not move me, as it obviously does others, and offers little to make me want to listen again.”
“I’m not sure how many people would have heard of sleepy John Estes, Arthur Blake or even Blind Willie Johnson in Americana music circles of 1970. However Cooder does them proud particularly on the Police Dog Blues and Dark Is The Night where Cooder (never much of a vocalist) steps back and lets his guitar do the talking and they are both stunning.”
“This an interesting and artistically daring debut that served to showcase Cooder's long standing interest in the blues, folk, Americana roots rock and other largely forgotten musical genres. While his raw and strained voice was an acquired taste, the set has a rough hewn charm.”
“A collection of songs from America's archives. Ry Cooder does them proud though his voice is thin and unable to carry the songs very well at times. His playing on the other hand is superb.”
“An album that pays homage to great songs and songwriters in the folk, blues, and Americana tradition, while making a clear effort to not sound exactly like them. It features tunes by artists ranging from old legends like Leadbelly, to up and coming songwriters like Randy Newman, to unknowns as well as a few traditional tunes. The theme that seems to tie the tunes together is the struggles unfortunate outsiders face through circumstances created by a cruel and indifferent society. The characters in these songs are victims of injuries inflicted on them through no fault of their own.”
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