Songs and Stories by Guy Clark

It is hard to like Texas. I do not like the Dallas Cowboys, I think the whole Texas bravado is dumb, the Texas culture of killing and guns is abysmal and with LBJ, John Tower, the Bush's and now Rick Perry their politics are something scary.

The one thing I do like in Texas is Austin, Texas. It is like an oasis a desert. Out of Austin comes some of the best music in the Texas Alt Country tradition such as James McMurtry and Robert Earl Keen both of whom I have reviewed before.

Today on Spotify we listened to a new collection buy 70 year old, 40 year Texas troubadour Guy Clark. This collection entitled Songs and Stories is perhaps his version of Storytellers. The music is quiet, reflective and intelligent. The stories are heartfelt including tributes to his longtime best friend Townes Van Zandt and his father. The music is well defined, the backup singers are involved. In short this show sounds like one I would be honored to go see.

The music business is hollow and shallow. What we can easily forget in listening to the same music over and over and looking at the wasteland of popular music is that there is so much great music out there.

Keen, McMurtry and Clark have been making music for decades and their back catalogue is like a treasure trove to keep you warm when you give up on " popular" music. Put the CD in, listen to Outlaw Country on Sirius and know that somewhere at least one of these three is on the road doing what he does best. Connecting us to our past with this wonderful music.

Highlights on this album include L A Freeway, Maybe I Can Paint Over That, If I Needed You, Stuff That Works, The Randall Knife and Dublin Blues.

Turn off your mind, make a small drink, and listen thoughtfully to this album. It is a keeper.