In yet another country-tinged offshoot of the Mekons — following on the heels of this issue’s cover boys the Waco Brothers and a recent solo outing by Rico Bell — Sally Timms, the only Mekon who’s actually a native of Leeds, offers up this five-song charmer of covers both old and new.
On the old side, there’s “Long Black Veil”, the Danny Dill/Marijohn Wilkin classic popularized by Lefty Frizzell (which first appeared on Timms’ long-out-of-print 1988 EP Somebody’s Rocking My Dreamboat); the Pee Wee King/Redd Stewart landmark “Tennessee Waltz”, with backing by fellow Mekon Jon Langford plus the ubiquitous-in-Chicago Trumfio Brothers; and “Old Flames”, a torchy country ballad that was a hit for Dolly Parton. On each of these songs, Timms’ winsome singing pays tribute to the undying beauty of the melody, while the stirring, subtly subversive arrangements firmly plant her interpretations outside the realm of mere revivalism.
Perhaps more significant, however, is how seamlessly the two newer numbers, which lead off the disc, complement the classics. Kicking things off is “Seminole Wind”, the title track to John Anderson’s 1992 album; it’s the liveliest song of the bunch, churning along to an entrancing midtempo sway propelled by the Waco Brothers and fiddler Jessica Billey. But the real kicker is The Handsome Family’s “Drunk By Noon”, on which Timms is backed by that dapper clan their ownselves. Some have accused The Handsome Family of merely mocking country music, given their habit of decorating the stage at live shows with plastic deer and the Tourette’s-esque risque banter of bassist Rennie Sparks between songs; but Timms’ timeless delivery of “Drunk By Noon” — and the ease with which it sidles up alongside such decades-old favorites on this EP — proves there’s a true country soul in their songwriting.