Guy Clark’s thirteen studio album, the second on Dualtone following 2006’s critically acclaimed “Workbench Songs”, is released later this month on the 22nd, I’ve really been looking forward to this since I heard the news that Guy was working on a new release – given the meticulous craft and quality control that he applies to his recordings expectations are always high.
Titled “Somedays the Song Writes You” the album follows the collaborative writing pattern that proved successful of Guy’s previous two albums The Dark and Workbench Songs, he teams up with old friends including Rodney Crowell, Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp alongside some new names (to me), Jedd Hughes, Ashley Monroe and Patrick Davis, the result is a wonderfully colourful album as Clark & Co paint scenes and characters using minimal but carefully chosen words to great affect, combine this with the excellent acoustic instrumentation and thoughtful production that avoids the artificial and allows the lyrics to shine through, the lead track “Sometimes You Write the Song” sets the standard for the album which is immediately demanding and deserving of your full attention from start to finish.
There are eleven tracks in total including ten originals, my personal highlights are “The Guitar”, which you can listen to at Dualtone (The Guitar) the song is a co-write with Verlon Thompson who’s take on the track you can watch and listen to over at YouTube, “Maybe I Can Paint Over That” and “Hemingway’s Whiskey” which you can listen to and download by clicking the link – courtesy of the guys and gals at Dualtone.
The album includes a cover of Clark’s troubadour freind Townes van Zandt’s “If I Needed You” which is a song that TvZ first played for Guy and Susanna Clark – waking up one morning at the Clarke’s home in East Nashville, Townes announced he’d “dreamed it” and proceeded to play the song to the couple – so the story goes.
