Tom Rush - Voices (2018)

Until his new Voices CD (Appleseed Recordings, street date April 27, 2018), Rush has been heard only sparingly as a songwriter, with only a few tantalizing handfuls of originals about 20 spread out over eleven studio albums, most notably No Regrets, a classic of stoic farewell on that 68 LP that later became a multi-genre chart hit in three cover versions (including those by The Walker Brothers and Midge Ure in the UK). Voices is the first album ever of all-Rush originals, ten relaxed, warmhearted, amused and sometimes thoughtful songs that perfectly reflect Tom's wry persona. (Harkening back to Rush's early 60s roots in Boston as a folk/blues interpreter are two traditional tracks, Corina, Corina and the opening Elder Green, included because I didn't want to compromise my folksinger credentials, Tom explains in the liner notes.) He writes songs shorn of elaborate metaphors, preferring straightforward, evocative emotional settings. Then his warm baritone, tanned by experience, humor and melancholy, shines right through the lyrics, illuminating them from within.