Into The Purple Valley - RY COODER***

How Can You Keep On Moving/Billy The Kid/Money Honey/FDR In Trinidad/Teardrops Will Fall/ Denomination Blues/On A Monday/Hey Porter/Great Dream From Heaven/Taxes On The Farmer Feeds Us All/Vigilante Man

American guitarist Ry Cooder’s second album release Into The Purple Valley continues the theme of his debut by reviving and interpreting songs from the dustbowl era. (US:113)

“American music is hard to define because it encompasses so many different styles. Yet, when you hear it, you know it. Ry Cooder is much more than a singer and outstanding guitarist. He is a performing curator of the Museum of American Music. Look at the songwriting credits on this great album - songs that span over 100 years of American songwriting tradition and styles, all lovingly presented with very little embellishment.”

“Round up all things American in a nice laid back, and easy flowing rootsy style. Throw in the calypso of FDR and the slicker sounding Teardrops for good measure. And you can't beat a bit of Vigilante Man can you?”

“Leave it to guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder to tackle the dust bowl era, the great depression, and the plight of sharecroppers in America. Into The Purple Valley is Cooder's musical take on John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath: impoverished farmers travelling to the land of opportunity. The majority of songs are pre-1950s standards, but instead of updating them, Cooder captures the music (or perhaps the desperation) of the time.”

“Combining the storytelling style of Johnny Cash with virtuosity of a Clapton or Gallagher, track after track of covers and standards go down smoothly with toe-tapping catchiness and abundant guitar flash.”

“Into The Purple Valley is one of Ry Cooder's strongest albums from the 1970s, showing the guitarist in good form on a number of traditional folk numbers and dust-bowl ballads, with an R & B tune thrown in for good measure. As the little known songs on this album can attest, Cooder has an encyclopaedic knowledge of American music.”

Cooder’s second record sees him exploring the music and social history of the dustbowl era of American history. Amazingly it ties in quite perfectly with his more recent work in trying to marry the music and the history of American peoples together.”