Tom Russell
The Man From God Knows Where
Hightone Records

This is folk music. Tom Russell blends Irish and Norwegian roots with traditional American folk to create a portrait of his past. In the liner notes, he tells of being in an Irish pub when he discovered the fate of one of his ancestors. The old man said,

"They hung your namesake, Thomas Russell, right across the road in 1798, during the United Irish Rebellion. There's a poem about him called "The Man From God Knows Where"."

There's nothing that isn't cool about this CD. Tom's vocals are rough and authentic. He has help with some songs -- Dolores Keane on "Mary Clare Malloy," Iris DeMent on "Wayfaring Stranger." You've never heard until you've heard DeMent's sweet, plaintive tones.

The instruments on this collection range from acoustic guitar to banjo, dobro, harmonica and Ullieann pipes. Most of the songs are Tom's own, except a few such as David Massengill's "Rider On An Orphan Train," Reverend George Bernard's "The Old Rugged Cross" and the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger." Close your eyes when you listen. When you open them, you'll be surprised to find yourself in the last days of the 20th century.

One of the coolest things about this CD is a snippet of a Walt Whitman speech, recorded on wax cylinder by Thomas Edison around 1890. It gives me the shivers, hearing the scratchy voice of someone so profound, from so long ago.

The songs are stories, and the photos included on the insert give testimony to this album's roots. Buy this for the history, for the music, for whatever. Just buy it.
-KR

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