The Man from God Knows Where

Amazon.com
Texan singer-songwriter Tom Russell has recorded more than a dozen albums of original material, but none quite as unique as this evocative "immigrant song cycle," which paints a stark picture of early American lifestyles. Loosely based on Russell's own family history, this folk opera employs Irish and Norwegian musical elements as well as sounds drawn straight from the dustbowl. Sterling vocal contributions from the likes of Iris DeMent and Dave Van Ronk guide us through several generations of outcasts and pioneers. Using a wide range of traditional instruments, including Uilleann pipes and the Hardanger fiddle, Russell creates a rustic vision of hard-luck America that is both a coherent artistic statement as well as an extremely powerful history lesson. --Mitch Myers

Tracks:

The Man From God Knows Where
Wayfarin' Stranger
Patrick Russel
Mary Clare Malloy (American Wake)
The Outcast
Ambrose Larsen
The Dreamin'
The Old Northern Shore
The Man From God Knows Where
Anna Olsen
Rider On An Orphan Train
Acres Of Corn
The Man From God Knows Where
Sitting Bull In Venice
The Old Rugged Cross
Anna Olsen's Letter Home
Eg Er Framand
When Irish Girls Grow Up
Casey Jones
Chickasaw County Jail
Wayfarin' Stranger (Passage Of Time)
Throwin' Horseshoes At The Moon
The Man From God Knows Where
The Outcast (Revisited)
Wayfarin' Stranger (Revisited)
Love Abides

Amazon.com

Texan singer-songwriter Tom Russell has recorded more than a dozen albums of original material, but none quite as unique as this evocative "immigrant song cycle," which paints a stark picture of early American lifestyles. Loosely based on Russell's own family history, this folk opera employs Irish and Norwegian musical elements as well as sounds drawn straight from the dustbowl. Sterling vocal contributions from the likes of Iris DeMent and Dave Van Ronk guide us through several generations of outcasts and pioneers. Using a wide range of traditional instruments, including Uilleann pipes and the Hardanger fiddle, Russell creates a rustic vision of hard-luck America that is both a coherent artistic statement as well as an extremely powerful history lesson. --Mitch Myers

Customer Reviews:

A true American Opera of music.......2007-01-21

Don't listen in passing. Get the longest cigar you own, sit down with cocktail and take a ride through American history like no other recorded. The rollercoaster nature of this collection will re-focus your view of how the country was settled and how fabulous those settlers were.

Real music for real people........2006-11-06

A strong collection of original songs with heart from singer song writers who have talent and soul.

Come Gather Round, My Children.......2006-03-23

Only within the last year have I come to know of Tom Russell through an article I read in MOJO magazine. The article's description of his music sounded interesting, so I bought a Russell CD and liked it well enough to try another one. I settled on The Man From God Knows Where partly because of the silly-looking cuss on the cover and partly because the picture coupled with the CD's title seemed to promise something unusual within.
Well, it took me several listens to warm to it, but I have grown to like it quite well. I don't understand the reviewer who finds this to be "depressing crap". I don't find it depressing at all, Russell's family story could be the family story of a great many of us whose ancestors arrived on these shores poor and in many cases, not speaking English. Everyday life was a struggle. Sure, there were happy moments as there are in everyone's life, but life at that time was nose to the grindstone for all but the lucky few. That was the reality of everyday life. And the harshness of that reality is Russell's focus.
Much of the CD has a "come gather round, my children, and let me tell you a story" quality to it and it sometimes sounds like a county fair sideshow, but there is a lot of great music and a lot of interesting stories to heard. I like most the haunting title cut and its reprises, The Outcast and its revisitation, Sitting Bull in Venice, Eg Er Framand, and Chickasaw County Jail.
Sure, there is a little repetition, but that helps keep the listener focused on the big picture.
The Man From God Knows Where is not going to be to everyone's taste, but if you like a good story, well here's a well-told one that could be a template for your family story too!

depressing, self-indulgent crap.......2006-03-22

Even depressed people are happy sometimes, but apparently not the guy from God knows where. And judging by this "family cycle" there hasn't been a happy moment in either side of his family for generations.

Granted, they seem to have had a tough life - orphaned, poor, condemned, dispossed - but with a couple of hundred years and several countries, was there not a wedding, Christmas, or friendship worth noting in the family history?

Apparently not, so we get multiple repeats of mourning and self-pity. Rather than buy this album, find that "woe-is-me" friend you always try to avoid and let him tell you again how the world has always been against him. He'll feel better, and you'll save money.

Still The Best Album Ever.......2005-09-10

I Just want to make a quick addition to all the praise this album has received. I bought this Cd shortly after it was released in 1999 and 6 years later my opinion of it has not changed. This is the best album I have ever heard, period.
If you ever have an opportunity to see Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin Live do it. you will be amazed.

Music Album:

Music Album