No Deeper Blue

Amazon.com
If Townes Van Zandt is known at all, it may be only for writing the Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard hit "Poncho and Lefty" a decade back. But the voice and music of this care-worn country-folk veteran (who passed away in January 1997) connotes something more sublime. With his warm folkways and dark ruminations, Van Zandt is like a lost wanderer who can link generations of songwriters, from Woody Guthrie to Nick Cave. On No Deeper Blue, his first studio release in seven years, Van Zandt strings a trail of small and intimate folk-blues numbers that lead us down paths both empty and bright. With "The Hole," a ghost story works as a metaphoric battle with personal demons, whether they be alcohol or depression; in "Billy, Boney and Ma," the graveyard tale takes a comic turn. Songs like the poetic "Hey Willy Boy" and the whimsical "If I Was Washington" build on simple folk conceits and wordplay, while others such as "Goin' Down to Memphis" make effective use of the basic blues form. If, perhaps, the thin, dry voice of the Texan troubadour has limited Van Zandt to being a cult songwriter instead of a recording star, it is that same quiet and understated vocal delivery that adds weight and dignity to his tunes. He's living proof the songs of yesterday's ramblers hold their mystery and charm through the years and despite changing musical fashions. --Roni Sarig

Tracks:

A Song For
Blaze's Blue
The Hole
Marie
Goin' Down To Memphis
Hey Willy Boy
Niles River Blues
Billy, Boney And Ma
Katie Belle Blue
If I Was Washington
Lover's Lullaby
Cowboy Junkies Lament
BW Railroad Blues
Gone Too Long

Amazon.com

If Townes Van Zandt is known at all, it may be only for writing the Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard hit "Poncho and Lefty" a decade back. But the voice and music of this care-worn country-folk veteran (who passed away in January 1997) connotes something more sublime. With his warm folkways and dark ruminations, Van Zandt is like a lost wanderer who can link generations of songwriters, from Woody Guthrie to Nick Cave. On No Deeper Blue, his first studio release in seven years, Van Zandt strings a trail of small and intimate folk-blues numbers that lead us down paths both empty and bright. With "The Hole," a ghost story works as a metaphoric battle with personal demons, whether they be alcohol or depression; in "Billy, Boney and Ma," the graveyard tale takes a comic turn. Songs like the poetic "Hey Willy Boy" and the whimsical "If I Was Washington" build on simple folk conceits and wordplay, while others such as "Goin' Down to Memphis" make effective use of the basic blues form. If, perhaps, the thin, dry voice of the Texan troubadour has limited Van Zandt to being a cult songwriter instead of a recording star, it is that same quiet and understated vocal delivery that adds weight and dignity to his tunes. He's living proof the songs of yesterday's ramblers hold their mystery and charm through the years and despite changing musical fashions. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

more than 2 months waiting.......2006-10-29

After more than 2 months waiting I ordered it somewhere else

there is No Deeper Blue - this disc is great!.......2004-09-11

I've heard all of TVZ and this album is wonderful!
1994-1995 were very good years
this one is a must have!

Back From the Desert.......2001-06-08

I guess all those years on the road and hard living seemed to have taken their toll. His range has dimished, his voice cracks.He sounds brittle, dry as kindling. Prematurely old some would say, but others would argue that Townes Van Zandt was always ahead of his time.

Lyrically speaking he's as sharp as ever. Think of this one as a kind of comeback record after years of wandering the desert with nothing but amnesia and a bottle of gin for company.

Next to woeful classics likes "Tecumseh Valley" or " Waiting Around To Die", "Marie" has to be one of the bleakest & most heartwrenching songs Van Zandt has ever penned. "If I Were Washington" shows he hasn't lost his sense of humor while, " Billie Bones & Ma" coupled with "The Hole" rank as two of the oddest & most grotesque songs in his formidable catalog. Each unforgettable in their eerieness.

"Katie Belle Blue", " A Song For" & " Lover's Lullabye" are ample proof there's more than a few ballads left in him. " Blaze's Blue" is a fitting tribute to friend and fellow songwriter, Blaze Foley. Like Townes, a troubled soul who's end came too soon.

As far as I can gather, NO DEEPER BLUE is the last record of original material Townes laid down before his death. In light of his erratic output throughout the 80's, it serves as a more than decent final word.

Still, despite my enthusiasm, I wouldn't recommend this one as a fitting introduction to his work. You're much better starting off with REARVIEW MIRROR,or some of his earlier fare. For those well acquainted, this one's kind of special. The scars may show, but he hasn't lost it.

A classic.......1999-02-28

I submitted a review of this CD a couple of months ago but it never saw the light of day. This is a GREAT album folks, full of pain and joy and life lived hard and well.

Townes Van Zandt was a great poet and a great spirit and the world is a poorer place for his passing.

My favorite tune on this one is "Cowboy Junkies Lament."

Ah, Townes. Thanks, man, for singing for us.

Music Album:

Music Album