Guy-Clark-M-Review-No28GUY CLARK

My Favorite Picture of You

[Dualtone]

At 71, Guy Clark is one of Texas country’s elder statesmen, a songwriter’s songwriter whose material has been recorded by luminaries like Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash. My Favorite Picture of You, his first studio album in four years, was worth the wait. The title track, written with Gordie Sampson, is a poignant tribute to songwriter and artist Susanna Clark, Guy’s wife of 40 years who passed away last year. Clark has always excelled at creating vivid characters, and here, he and frequent collaborator Shawn Camp revisit one of their recurring figures, Sis Draper, who drinks poisoned whiskey and is buried with her fiddle in a shallow grave. “Heroes” is a haunting depiction of a veteran suffering from PTSD, and “El Coyote,” about a crooked smuggler of Mexican immigrants, is horrifying, but the dancehall scenes in “Cornmeal Waltz” offer much needed sweetness. Like Guy Clark himself, the album is understated and captivating, a fine addition to a rock-solid legacy. –Juli Thanki

 

comment closed

Copyright © 2013 M Music & Musicians Magazine ·