There are very few authentic storytellers in American music, and
\nfewer still are still alive. Harry Chapin’s songs ended on an
\ninterstate highway, Jim Croce died in a plane, and while Johnny
\nCash is still plugging along, we all kind of watch the news with a
\nworried eye most days. So I admit with a shamefaced look that my CD
\ncollection overlooks a great storyteller I’d forgotten — country
\nvocalist and songwriter Tom T. Hall. Hall’s particularly ironic
\nturns of phrase and dry narrative style has resulted in some of the
\ngreatest songs ever recorded that, dammit, I’d forgotten about. I
\nhave fond memories, almost forgotten until now, of listening to
\nHall’s “Little Lady Preacher” on the eight-track player in my
\ngrandmother’s Ford LTD.<\/p>\n
So I’d like to, right here, thank bluegrass vocalist and Ralph
\nStanley prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Charlie Sizemore for bringing them
\nback to my attention, and I’m going to rectify this little
\noversight as soon as possible. (In fact, I’m logging onto CDNow in
\nanother window.)<\/p>\n
Which means, I suppose,
\nThe Story Is\u2026<\/i> did exactly what it was supposed to do;
\nhighlight some damn good songs while still giving them a unique
\nstamp. Kudos to Sizemore; this is a fine piece of work. He delivers
\nHall’s songs with his own style while still paying an honest homage
\nto a great, great songwriter. The production is impeccable; clear,
\ncrystalline, and uncomplicated, it features fine instrumental work
\n(including Sizemore’s own picked guitar, John Golden’s banjo, and
\nRandy Kohrs on dobro) uncluttered by any effects-driven
\nnonsense.<\/p>\n
There isn’t a bad track on this CD, but special note has to be
\ngiven to the rich harmonies of “Pamela Brown”, the poignant “I Flew
\nOver Our House Last Night” (with great harmony vocals from longtime
\ncountry vocalist Kathy Mattea), and a straightforward performance
\nof “Ballad Of Forty Dollars” that nevertheless captures the song
\nperfectly. The highlight has to be the twin wistfulness and guilt
\nof “Old Dogs, Children, And Watermelon Wine” and “Maggie’s At The
\nLincoln Park Inn”; Sizemore takes these songs, two of Hall’s better
\nknown tracks, and makes them his own with a gentle delivery that
\nreally lets the songs take center stage.<\/p>\n
Sizemore should be congratulated;
\nThe Story Is\u2026<\/i> is an effective tribute to a sadly
\nunderappreciated songwriter. This CD should not be missed for fans
\nof well-written songs. (I wonder what Sizemore could have done with
\n“Little Lady Preacher”.)<\/p>\n