Dave Alvin has always split the difference between blues journeyman and folk troubadour (with a dash of Bakersfield country), and the result has been a body of work that showcases his considerable songwriting talents while celebrating the rich tapestry of American music that has influenced Alvin. Over the past decade, his output has been steady, but much of it has been in the form of live releases, cover collections and tributes. As a producer and guitarist, he has lent his talents to several singer-songwriters (Amy Farris, Christy McWilson, Katy Moffat) and paid tribute to a number of key influences (Merle Haggard, Mississippi John Hurt). This work continues with the Alvin-produced tribute to his late friend and bandmate Chris Gaffney, Man Of Somebody's Dreams, which will be released May 26 on Yep Roc.
That same day will mark the release of Alvin's first record since 2006's West Of The West. In the wake of Gaffney's death, Alvin opted to record not with his usual Guilty Men but instead collected a jaw-dropping list of female talent to back him. The result is Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women, possibly his most collaborative effort since he joined with John Doe and Exene Cervenka in The Knitters. Not by any means a solo effort, DA&TGW is charged with a fresh energy that's been absent from most of his solo work. Though it doesn't quite return Alvin to the songwriting heights of King Of California and Blackjack David, it's great to hear him sharing so much of the spotlight with his newfound bandmates. Cindy Cashdollar, steel and dobro player-extraordinaire, particularly shines here, as does co-vocalist Christy McWilson. Amy Farris lends her violin and viola skills, as well as occasional vocals. Overall, this album leans much more heavily on Alvin's folkier side (unlike the more muscular blues workouts of Ashgrove), but it's still a lively and engergetic set, punctuated by a positively un-Doris-Day version of "Que Sera, Sera (What Will Be)".
If Dave Alvin hasn't quite delivered an album on par with his masterpieces (both King Of California and Blackjack David, imho), he's probably delivered his best record since they were released over a decade ago. Though it lacks the heft of his best work, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women finds one of my favorite troubadours in great form, with a group of backing musicians who are each formidable in her own right, but as whole - and with Alvin - are something quite special.
(Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women will be released on Yep Roc next Tuesday, May 26. If you pre-order the album with the Chris Gaffney tribute, you'll save a few bucks as well as be entered to win one of 20 signed prints of the Guilty Women album cover.)
(You can read all about each of the talented Guilty Women here. You can listen to the entire album below...)
UPDATE: You can read about Alvin's Chris Gaffney tribute at this year's SxSW here, courtesy of the Houston Press' Chris Gray.
