Reviews
Artist:The Gothic Cowboy Album: Bare Bones
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 56
Website: http://www.borderband.com/
Melvin Litton's the name, age 70 and hailing from Kansas, and this 4-CD set is a collection of vocal and guitar tracks recorded on a portable cassette player in 1978, 79, 81 and 84, separated into Chance, Folly, Desire and Dream, each around 45 minutes, and what he describes as prairie ballads, Nordic blues and Western realism.
It's too extensive a selection to enumerate each number, so, dipping in the disc one, let me direct attention to whistling ragtime opener 'Lullaby Of Faris Jordan', country blues picked 'Victrola Blues', the traditional 'Jack O'Diamonds', gothic folk blues 'Epilogue Of A Pioneer' and fingerpicked outlaw on the run and deal with the devil blues 'That Ol' Night Train'.
Moving into Folly, the first highlight comes with the Guthrie-like talking blues 'Marijuana Song' (an obvious riff on 'Cottonfields') to be followed with the cracked emotion of 'Forsake Me Not', the camffire waltzer 'Starvin' For A Song' and the fingerpicked blues account of 'Wounded Knee'. The title setting the general theme, Desire kicks off with the ragtime 'Pantomime', the flame continuing to burn through 'Ol Trouble' and 'Louisiana Blues', taking in two lengthy narratives with the shuffling blues 'Chicago Morgue' and the nimbly picked 'Spanish Guns Aztec Gold'.
Finally we get to Dream, opening with the Pete Seeger feel of 'Gypsy Fire' while I'd direct your ears particularly towards the lively talking-blues styled 'Long Way From Beulah Land' where he shows off his falsetto notes, the WB Yeats title-inspired 'What Rough Beast', the brief 'For A Nickel And A Dime' and the mortality themed 'Old Men and Old Hymns'.
With many more to choose from, this is perfect for anyone whose collection includes the likes of Guthrie, Seeger, Ramblin', Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Doc Watson, Elizabeth Cotton and their ilk, alongside whom, Litton can stand tall.
Mike Davies
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The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
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