CD reviews for 02/17/12 – Dave Provost, Darrell Scott
Compact Capsules
By Dan Ferguson
By Dan Ferguson
Dave Provost
My Favorite Ghost
Green Barn Records
File new release My Favorite Ghost from singer/songwriter Dave Provost under Americana. Also, file the catchy, 10-song affair, nine of them originals, from the Nantucket-based artist as an album clearly worthy of attention, especially to those who like smart, honest and literate songwriting attached to tempting melodies. Provost traverses many of the stylistic musical bases over the course of the sturdy set of songs comprising My Favorite Ghost from folk to pop and roots rock to dabs of alt country. Right out of the gates via leadoff track “Hall of Bones,” Provost demonstrates his crafty way with the written word and his deftness for melody. My Favorite Ghost also has a serious Ocean State connection having been recorded at Satellite Studios in East Greenwich and with Provost tapping the talents of Emerson Torrey of The Schemers fame to produce and enlisting the services of Mark Cutler, also of The Schemers fame on guitar on selected tracks, and Dick Reed on organ and accordion. It makes for a winning combination. Visit www.daveprovost.com.
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Darrell Scott
Long Ride Home
Full Light Records
He’s the songwriter behind such smash hits as “Long Time Gone” (The Dixie Chicks) and “Born to Fly” (Sara Evans). A highly regarded multi-instrumentalist, he has backed such luminaries as Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and as of late, is a featured player in Robert Plant’s Band of Joy band. Suffice to say those credentials alone are enough to confirm Darrell Scott as a monster talent. Oh yeah, he’s a darn good singer. Whereas Scott’s own recording career has never come close to scaling such heights of some of those he has backed, he has released a string of solid albums that straddle that line between traditional-leaning country and folk and do it quite well. His new release Long Ride Home is no exception. Recorded in his Nashville home, it is a throwback affair that eschews country comfort buoyed by esteemed old school Music City sideman like Hargus “Pig” Robbins (piano), Lloyd Green (pedal steel) and Kenny Malone (percussion) along with guest spots from the likes of Tim O’Brien, John Cowan, Patty Griffin and the aforementioned Clark and Crowell, to name a few. Long Ride Home is real-deal country. Recommended. Visit www.darrellscott.com.
(Dan Ferguson is a free-lance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3.)<...