Spencer Bohren - Southern Cross (2004)

Recorded in Germany late in 2003, "Southern Cross" gracefully represents Spencer Bohren's lifelong passion for America's traditional music. From the breathtaking lapsteel intro of Curtis Mayfield's soul / gospel classic, "People Get Ready" to the sage advice of Hank Williams' "Lost Highway," Spencer's musical vision never falters, and his love for the music is clear throughout. A wide spectrum of Southern music is represented, with soulful readings of everything from a coal miner ballad, to a post-Elizabethan murder ballad, to a prison lament and a gospel rave-up. Laced between the traditional pieces are Spencer's own original songs, written with obvious reverence for the form and indistinguishable from the others. In addition to his celebrated lapsteel guitars, Spencer uses clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitars, and acapella voices to imbue the album with an almost spiritual ambience. The title, "Southern Cross," refers to the intersection at which the roots of all this southern music inevitably cross.

The compelling artwork on the cover is evidence of a recent divergence in Spencer's creative path. Assembled during stolen moments of concert tours, his "Petite Mysteres" document a life in motion with artifacts and images gathered along the way.