Ry Cooder - Chicken Skin Music 1976

01 - Ry Cooder- The Bourgeois Blues
02 - Ry Cooder- I Got Mine
03 - Ry Cooder- Always Lift Him Upkanaka Wai Wai
04 - Ry Cooder- He'll Have To Go
05 - Ry Cooder- Smack Dab In The Middle
06 - Ry Cooder- Stand By Me
07 - Ry Cooder- Yellow Roses
08 - Ry Cooder- Chloe
09 - Ry Cooder- Goodnight Irene
For starters, I don't know how much weight one can put into the opinion of someone who listens to music for the sake of `being hip'. I'm quite sure that Mr. Cooder is more interested in the actual quality of the music - one need look no further than his fall out with the Stones for evidence of this.
That said, CHICKEN SKIN MUSIC is one of the better albums that you'll come across, and I prefer it to the also great PARADISE AND LUNCH. It shouldn't be a surprise that Cooder handles the music well - the manner in which he handles it, however, is always a surprise. As covered, he, at various points throughout the album, shares the spotlight with the great Norteno accordion player Flaco Jiminez as well as the great Hawaiian guitarists Gabby Pahinui and Atta Issacs, but some of the more unheralded contributors make the biggest differences - namely the background vocalists Bobby King, Terry Evans, James Adams, Cliff Givens, and Herman Johnson. Ry is a great performer, but his vocal range is limited. The inclusion of these more able [for lack of a better word] singers really solidify songs like `Stand By Me,' and the harmonization on `Smack Dab In The Middle' is nothing short of brilliant.
While those who know of Cooder tend to give him the praise he deserves for his musical sensibility, I feel that his poetic insight is greatly overlooked. I'm aware that it seems odd to be praising his poetic vision on an album where he has not written a single song, but the songs that he selects as well as his treatment of the lyrics speaks volumes. Again, observe `Stand By Me.' He has taken one of the greatest love songs to ever be penned and turned it into a song, and though nothing can replace Ben E. King's version of the song, it makes more sense as a psalm, and it makes it actually worthwhile - John Lennon just embarrassed himself on his go at it.
All this attention to `Stand By Me,' and I don't even think that it's the best song on the album. `I Got Mine' is a wonderful tale, and I'm convinced that it is impossible to sit still through it. The jovial, hilarious at times, outlook on such a turbulent life is brilliant - not surprising that it originated as a minstrel, pop number. And if you somehow are able to sit still through `I Got Mine,' `Smack Dab In The Middle' will surely do you in. As I've already mentioned, the harmony on the chorus is just outstanding. `Always Lift Him Up' might be the most touching song on the album, and Cooder, again, shows us his brilliance with the altered backing arrangement - taken from an old Hawaiian gospel song. To be fair, every song is great. As I've said, this is one of the best albums that you'll come across, but my favorite would have to be the Leadbelly classic `Goodnight Irene.' Give credit where credit is do, Leadbelly wrote one of the most moving songs . . . ever. And I won't even say that Cooder's version is better than his, but Cooder's version is perfect - executed as well as it could be, and it doesn't take the easy way out. It would be easy for Cooder to say, `here is a great song from Leadbelly. I'll give it to you the way that he gave it to me.' Cooder adds his own spirit to the song [like he does on ever song] and in doing so makes the remake worthwhile.
Not only is Cooder a great introduction to roots music [he most certainly is that - with the amount of different roots musicians if nothing else], he is one of the finest musicians of the 1900s. I think that CHICKEN SKIN MUSIC sees him at his zenith, but I'd encourage you to get your hands on all the Cooder that you can.

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