2011 - Vanguard Record
By Phillip Smith;
July 9, 2011
He’s over seventy years old
now, and still nothing quite gets in the way of Levon Helm‘s tenacious desire
to make music. Arguably one of the two
most notable people to ever call such a little place like Turkey Scratch,
Arkansas, home. The other being the
legendary Robert Lockwood, Jr. Ramble
at the Ryman, the newest release from Helm, is a live album. Capturing the essence of the old time
medicine shows, he shares the stage with big name talent like Sheryl Crow, John
Hiatt, Buddy Miller, and Billy Bob Thornton to name a few. With Helm handling vocals, drums, and the
mandolin, Larry Campbell on guitar, and (Little) Sammy Davis on harmonica, it’s
quite an impressive arcade of musicians.
Six of the fifteen tracks are
oldies but goodies written by one of Helm’s original band mates from The Band,
Robbie Robertson. Kicking off the show,
is a lively version of “Ophelia“. It’s
such a great song, and sets the mood for a swingin’ good time. Wrapping up the album, we get to hear a
fabulous rendition of “The Weight“, recorded with special guest vocalist, John
Hiatt. And in between, fabulous
performances of “Evangeline“, recorded
with Sheryl Crow, “Rag Mama Rag“, and “The Shape I’m In“.
Harmonica aficionados should
really enjoy the back to back tracks, “Fannie Mae” and “Baby Scratch My Back”.
Davis owns the stage with his riveting harp playing. It’s just great to listen to. Other great listens include the chilling
ballad, “A Train Robbery”. Helm sings
his heart out on this one. Rounding out
the rest of the album, is a very nice cover of Chuck Berry’s “Back to Memphis”.
This event is also available
on DVD, which I plan to picking up sometime soon, because I love the CD so
much.
Rating = 5/5
http://www.levonhelm.com/
* Authors note: Originally appeared on BluesRevue.Com's BluesWax online magazine. Posting again, in honor of what would have been Levon's 74th birthday.
* Levon Helm. May 26, 1940 ~ April 19, 2012
* Authors note: Originally appeared on BluesRevue.Com's BluesWax online magazine. Posting again, in honor of what would have been Levon's 74th birthday.
* Levon Helm. May 26, 1940 ~ April 19, 2012
