Give Slaid Cleaves credit. Though he’s not exactly a household name himself, his primary motivation in making this album of cover songs was to bring attention to worthy but little-known artists (many of them his friends) who in some instances have yet to secure a record deal. But Unsung is not simply an act of charity. These are great songs, and Cleaves inhabits them as fully as if slipping into a new skin fashioned just for him.
In style and overarching theme, Unsung doesn’t differ markedly from previous Cleaves efforts. “Devil’s Lullaby”, the Michael O’Connor-penned opening track, is a juiced-up folk song powered by twangy rhythm guitar, blasts of harmonica, and Cleaves’ scruffy, warm tenor. Similarly, “Everette”, written by Austin songwriter Steve Brooks, is a beer hall tune reminiscent of Kurt Weill or Tom Waits.
Elsewhere, Cleaves reaches deep for some heartrending balladry. The stately “Flowered Dresses”, a Karen Poston song, teeters poignantly on the cusp between loss and possibility. Likewise, Chris Montgomery’s “Call It Sleep” is about as vivid a blue-collar lament as you’re likely to hear this side of Nebraska-era Springsteen.
Lyrically, in fact, the songs on Unsung center mostly on richly drawn characters clinging to hope in the face of despair. “I dream of a getaway car/One with no brakes or plates…Gonna bury it all in the glow of my taillights,” sings Cleaves on “Getaway Car”, another O’Connor song and a high point in this set. It’s a sentiment that courses through these unburied gems.