Ben Weaver - Blueslivinghollerin'

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 25 / 6 / 2005

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For many Ben Weaver first came to notice via his debut for Fargo Records, the 2003 release ‘Stories Under Nails’. The most startling thing about Weaver’s Fargo debut was that he was only 24 at the time. Weaver has a world weary voice and the stories he tells betray his years. Sounding at times like a cross between Tom Waits and Johnny Dowd he occupies the same dark corners of this thing we call Americana as Gabriel Minnikin (The Guthries) and Iron & Wine. This welcome release collects songs from Weaver’s three previous albums, ‘El Calmino Blues’, ‘Living In The Ground’ and ‘Hollerin’ At A Woodpecker’. Weaver has also added a further three songs from the ‘Stories Under Nails’ sessions and a newish recording of Dylan’s ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’. Placing the songs in chronological order makes sense. From that first albumthe fiddle drenched ‘Sometimes’ shows that although Weaver takes us on a journey we’d rather not take at times his blues infused country songs never stray too far from being melodic. Weaver’s vocals seem to have taken on all the worries of the world in the time between his first and second album, ‘Living In The Ground’. All six songs from that album reveal a gruffness that Lee Marvin would be proud of which only surfaced at times during Weaver’s first album and it comes as a surprise just how Weaver’s vocals have developed; having the songs placed in this order one can trace Weaver’s development easily. Thankfully one of the standout songs from ‘Living In The Ground’ is included in this collection, ‘2 Girls’ a cover of the Townes Van Zandt song is made for Weaver to sing. A classic example of an artist taking a song and making it his own. In this setting the four songs taken from 'Hollerin’ At A Woodpecker'reveal that the gruffness of the vocals on the previous album had disappeared a little and the vocals are more like those we now know and love from ‘Stories Under Nails’. The standout song from that third album, the all too short monologue which is ‘Semis Sounded Like Thunder’, is included in this collection and is worth the price of the CD alone. That we also get ‘Sara’ another excellent cut from the same album is an added bonus. It’s surprising none of the three songs recorded at the ‘Stories Under Nails’ sessions were not included on that album. It’s good that they finally see the light of day on this collection but all three songs are strong enough to have been considered for the album, especially ‘Vapor’ which had Johnny Cash still been with us would surely have been considered for a future album. This leaves us with Weaver’s cover of ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’; after his take on ‘2 Girls’ Weaver has proved he can obviously make his mark on songs he hasn’t composed and this is no exception. With Son Volt’s Dave Boquist on guitar and harmonica and some effecting organ by Peter Sands Weaver makes a chilling take on the Dylan song. This is an excellent way to catch up on Weaver's past recordings. If ‘Stories Under Nails’ was your introduction to him or if you were curious but never bought that album this is the best place to start. Highly recommended.

Track Listing:-

1 El Camino Blues
2 Lonesome As AM Radio
3 I Cried All Night
4 Sometimes
5 Precious Time
6 Bill Brown
7 Ella Mae
8 Living In The Ground
9 Rose Marie
10 2 Girls
11 Ocean Aint Blue
12 Blood
13 Semis Sounded Like Thunder
14 Sara
15 Boxcars
16 Liza
17 Ballad Of A Thin Man
18 Vapor

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