Dirk Powell - Hand Me Down (1999)

Tracklist

01. Wild Bill Jones
02. Hop High My Lulu Gal
03. The Silk Merchant's Daughter
04. A Tune For Paul
05. Western Country
06. Moonshiner
07. The Keys To The Kingdom
08. Say Darling Say
09. Breaking Up Christmas
10. The Cradle, The Coffin, The Cross On The Hill
11. Leaning On A Wall
12. Little Maggie
13. Been All Around This World, Baby Mine
14. Going Back To Fielden
15. Poor Soldier
16. Near And Far
17. Cumberland Gap
18. Ride With The Devil

Solo albums are often an exercise in ego. Often, without a band to limit an artist's excesses, solo records promise more than they ever deliver. Welcome then, to the exception. Dirk Powell, the 30-something leader of Balfa Toujours, has cut a record of American folk song that can comfortably sit on the shelf with anything Harry Smith ever heard. He does this by remaining admirably in the background. The wounded voice of Jim Miller graces most tunes, leaving Powell free to express his astonishing range and virtuosity on a number of instruments. Most of the songs on this record are over 100 years old. Those that aren't sound like they are. Powell knows that American music is a river. On this album, he's content to wade waist-deep in the Big Muddy. A brilliant decision. An astonishing record, one that rewards repeated listening. This is heartily recommended to anyone with ears to hear.

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