When we last heard from heartland musician Geoff Muldaur in
1999, he was trying to find the grave of Blind Lemon Jefferson and
was spreading his knowledge of American folk and gospel music
through
The Secret Handshake. (One assumes he wasn’t doing them all
at the same time.)
Now, with his latest release
Password, Muldaur starts some new tales, ends others, and
continues in the same vein as his previous effort, even though this
one’s a little more preachy than the last.
Like
The Secret Handshake,
Password is not the easiest disc to get into at times.
Depending on your musical tastes, you may or may not find a
spiritual song like “Wait ‘Til I Put On My Robe” appealing; I
happened to think this one was stretched out a bit too long.
Likewise, you might not like the more modern spin put on a song
like “Trouble Soon Be Over”; this, I
did like, and appreciated how Muldaur tried to shed a new
light onto the work of Blind Willie Johnson.
And there indeed are times on
Password where less said might have been more powerful, as
on “Light Rain,” a track which means well but just seems to stretch
on into eternity. As for “At The Christmas Ball,” this might be a
slice of pure Americana, but it just doesn’t seem to fit in with
the rest of the disc’s mood, and it sticks out noticably. (The fact
that it’s a Christmas song isn’t the reason for this.) The
difference between the two albums is that these moments are more
pronounced on
Password, while they tended to slip into the background on
The Secret Handshake.
In
Password‘s defense, there are more moments on this disc
which are instantaneously joyous. Take the album’s opening tracks
“Kitchen Door Blues” and “Drop Down Mama” as examples – two
wonderful slices of folk which make the listener smile as they tap
their foot to the melodies. The same can be said for “Some Of These
Days (I’ll Be Gone)” and “Got To Find Blind Lemon Part Two,” which
place Muldaur in the best light possible. (Did Muldaur find
Jefferson’s grave? Listen to the song and find out.)
Muldaur assembles a fine cast of supporting musicians, including
Stephen Bruton, John Herron and labelmate Dave Alvin. But in the
end, it’s the songs which make or break
Password – and this effort is a little more hit-or-miss from
Muldaur.
