Sophomore set by this husband and wife leans heavily on cover songs.
Just over a year after releasing the thirteen-song album Cheater’s Game, this husband and wife duo deliver their sophomore set. The ten-song Our Year possesses numerous similarities to its predecessor. Considering its speedy arrival, the thought occurs that it was recorded in Nashville concurrent with Cheater’s Game.
Helmed, once again, by Brad Jones, Fred Eltringham (drums, percussion), Pete Finney (dobro, steel guitar), Eamon McLaughlin (fiddle, mandolin) and Lex Price (bass, bass fiddle) reprise their support roles, with assistance on this go-round from brother-in-law John Ludwick (bass, bass fiddle, acoustic guitar) and Geoff Queen (dobro, acoustic guitar, steel guitar). As before, in the main, Bruce or Kelly lead vocally with the other supporting. In addition to mixing and production, Jones is credited here with harmonium and string arrangements. So what, if any, is the real difference?
Robison penned originals marginally outweighed the covers previously, while seven covers grace Our Year.
Written by Bruce’s younger sibling, Robyn Ludwick, the “let’s consider our options” paean “Departing Louisiana” surfaced on her album, For So Long in 2005. It launches Our Year, with a Robison lead vocal. Kelly delivers an urgent reading of the late Walter Hyatt’s tribute to Detroit — “Motor City Man.” The band version appeared on the Waterloo Ice House recorded collection Live (1982). As with the opening selection, Bruce blows righteous harp on the latter.
Fellow Austin song poet Darden Smith co-wrote “Carousel” with Robison, while Willis collaborated with Brit Paul Kennerley on the ensuing “Lonely For You.” Sitting on a fairground ride, the male narrator muses about life and love in the ballad-paced former, while the melodically up-tempo latter finds Willis’ narrator confess “I’m only lonely baby for you.”
Penned by Ira Allen and Buddy Mize, the love ode “Hangin’ On” became the title of the late Waylon Jennings’ 1958 album; here, the backdrop to Bruce’s sensitive interpretation prominently features strings and pedal steel. From T-Bone Burnett’s self-titled 1986 album, with a lyric that focuses on those country music lyric staples lying and cheating, the pair duet on the edgy “Shake Yourself Loose.” In a bravado display of onstage one-upmanship, early in 2012, Willis surprised her husband with an impromptu rendition of the wordy 1968 Jeannie C. Riley #1 pop-country hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.” The Tom T. Hall composition is now a staple on their set list. Kelly’s reading is less funky than Riley’s original, but her interpretation burns with moral indignation and shines with “stick it to them” humour.
Monte Warden’s Wagoneers are once again working and recording, with a year-long Sunday night residency at Austin’s Continental Club already under their belt. “Anywhere But Here” is a Bruce ‘n’ Monte co-write 
wherein the narrator, initially, fondly remembers long-gone teen summer days “a lifetime ago.” Now up in years, those precious, innocent memories are becoming harder to call to mind. Don Reid’s “I’ll Go To My Grave Loving You” furnished the Statler Bros. with a #3 Country Single almost four decades ago, and here Bruce ‘n’ Kelly duet on this energetic hoedown.
The Zombies 1968 album Odyssey And Oracle has been elevated to almost legendary status, and from that almost half-century-old disc, Our Year closes with Chris White’s “This Will Be Our Year.” Introduced by a banjo, the duo’s voices intertwine as they simply nail the song.
With a dearth of significant 21st Century successors, much has been made of Bruce and Kelly teaming to record. Frankly, based on their two outings, they’re not (intentionally) aiming for classic country duo status. Rather, they’re creating remarkable sounding albums bursting at the seams with impressive songs.
Photo Credits:
001. Bruce Robison smiles, 2013 Kerrville Folk Festival (Credit: Folk Villager)
002. L. to R. Bruce, Kelly & John Ludwick, 2013 Kerrville Folk Festival (Credit: Folk Villager)
003. Kelly sings, 2013 Kerrville Folk Festival (Credit: Folk Villager)
Brought to you from the desk of the Folk Villager.
