Todd Snider – Peace, Love And Anarchy: Rarities, B-Sides And Demos, Vol. 1

This is a collection of Todd Snider’s trunk tunes, but, considering his highly regarded songwriting chops, it’s no surprise that even his odds and ends hold some golden nuggets. There are rough-edged demos of songs he developed further (“Missing You” and “Nashville”) or passed on to others (“Feels Like I’m Falling In Love” and “Deja Blues”). The disc really kicks in about a third of the way in with “Old Friends”, his charmingly relaxed duet with Jack Ingram. He then follows his hilarious take on aging, “Combover Blues”, with the stark spiritual “I Will Not Go Hungry”. There’s also an amiable rendition of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Stoney” from Snider’s never-released Jerry Jeff covers project. It’s the three closing tunes, however, that stand as the album’s highlights. With “East Nashville Skyline”, “From A Rooftop” and “Cheatham Street Warehouse”, Snider puts his wonderful ramshackle storytelling skills on prominent display, and makes you glad he opened up his trunk to share what’s inside.