Review – Willie Watson’s “Folk Singer Vol. 1”
On paper, nothing about this album should work. You can’t take one guy, and one guy only, no overdubs or band, just acoustic instruments and a cued mic and call it good. Not to mention that this is an album entirely consisting of covers and traditionals. So yeah, this isn’t Billy Bragg or Charlie Parr. I’m sorry, but that’s just not enough to hold the listener’s ear for an entire album. Or is it?
The key here is that one guy, and that one guy only is the one and only Willie Watson. One of the founding members of Old Crow Medicine Show who left the formidable throwback outfit back in 2011, Willie Watson has re-emerged with a new album and a very, very old approach to country and folk music.
Old Crow has always done very well to make sure they portray themselves as just a gaggle of guys with no real frontman or formalized positions in the band. Nonetheless, fellow founders Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua, and maybe to an extent the later edition, Gill Landry, have always been the outfit’s most out-front members. Willie Watson was always the guy that blended best in the background, and that’s not meant as an insult, but more of an illustration of his somewhat selfless, straightforward, no nonsense approach to music. As Old Crow would descend into silliness all around him, with a strong jaw and sense of purpose, Willie would be the rock holding the entire thing together, holding steady on the acoustic guitar, acting as the guidepost for the band’s tempo and harmonies. And then when it was his turn to lead a song, it would be the more sensible traditional that kept the group grounded in its original, founding spirit.
So here he is now striking out by himself, somewhat uncharacteristic, but at the same time holding uncompromisingly to what he is as a musician. To become a solo artist, Willie Watson didn’t decide to create a more sensible approach, or learn how to be more personable and well-rounded as an entertainer. Instead he drew even further inward, took what he did and boiled it down even further to the kernel of his creative genius where he’s channeling with almost ghostly authenticity the very folk singers, country troubadours, and blues men he seeks to resurrect through his music. Stern faced and focused, he comes out and sings with such a fierceness, dedication and heart to the emotions and humanity behind the stories he’s singing about, I’ll be damned if Willie Watson doesn’t come across more like Woody Guthrie than Woody Guthrie.
Then you take the songs he’s chosen. The name of this album is Folk Singer Vol. 1 for crying out loud, and it starts off with the well-familiar “Midnight Special”. Everything about Willie Watson’s approach is so dry, you expect it to fall flat on its face as a form of entertainment. But that’s what’s so cool about it—it’s counter-intuitiveness that is also exactly what you would expect from Willie Watson solo, only even more so. There’s such a dedication that is behind this approach he’s chosen that it steals your attention and conveys an intimacy that alludes most music.
And though all of these songs have been heard by the world before, Willie Watson takes the old folk singer approach of making each composition his own by changing up the words while keeping the root composition the same. This isn’t Willie Watson contemporizing or re-writing these songs. This is Willie taking the orthodox, traditional approach of the folk singer to take what his predecessors have done and add his own spin. This is how many of these songs were formed in the first place, and Watson just carries forward that heritage. So even though this is a new album of old songs, there’s a good measure of originality gracing this project.
Willie Watson can downright mesmerize, and he shouldn’t be discounted as a singer and performer just because there’s nothing flashy to his craft. On the song “Mexican Cowboy”, he evokes some singing moments that many pop singers wish they could re-create, while the guile and sense of character illustrated in “Keep It Clean” is spellbinding.
Folk Singer Vol. 1 was produced by David Rawlings, known for his work with Old Crow Medicine Show early on, as well as Gillian Welch and his own solo stuff, but I’m not sure what his useful purpose was for this record aside from staying the hell out of Willie Watson’s way. And refreshingly, Willie and Rawlings didn’t decide to try and get all retro in the recording process and make a foggy album by using antiquated gear. It’s a classic sound, but clear and present. The cover choice of this album is very debatable though. The image of Willie Watson with his steel jaw and wide-brimmed hat is so powerful to the conveyance of his songs, it’s a shame that they showed him here missing his lid and smoking a pipe that doesn’t seem to even fit in the same mood, in sunglasses, and setting a capo on his guitar.
Simply the limitation of how many people’s attention can be held by one person playing old songs makes Folk Singer Vol. 1 hard to recommend vehemently to the wide public. But beyond the limiting approach, it’s hard to find fault or flaw in Willie’s invocation of classics from America’s songbook.
1 3/4 of 2 guns up.
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May 10, 2014 @ 10:37 am
This album is as pure as it gets. There is not a single pop or pretentious moment on this disc. It is just pure Willie Watson, his voice, guitar and an amazingly intelligent selection of songs.
He covers Huddie Ledbetter (no introduction necessary), Utah Philips (left wing labor activist), Charlie Jordan (1920’s acoustic blues and true life bootlegger!), Gus Cannon (another 1920’s blues musician, seriously, google this guy, and his wiki page … “he taught himself to play using a banjo that he made from a frying pan and raccoon skin”), Richard Rabbitt Brown (another 1920’s blues artist, “James Alley Blues” is included in the Anthology of American Folk Music, which was the musical bible of the 1960’s folk revival), and the song Mother Earth is from “Real Folk Blues” by Memphis Slim.
I would have loved to be there when Willie Watson and Dave Rawlings were digging through all that old stuff looking for the right combination of songs for this album.
This is truly an amazing recording. Watson wears these songs like an old flannel shirt. They suit him perfectly. And that’s the way this CD works. The first time you listen you’ll enjoy it but not fully appreciate just how special it is, then you’ll listen again and the songs will wrap you up. You’ll notice how the songs feel lived in, how they contain the life of both the writer and the singer, how they are becoming part of your life.
Best CD of the year.
May 10, 2014 @ 12:44 pm
Man …thanks so much for bringing THIS gem to our attention . This is the definition of SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC, to my ears . A listener would need to do a lot of digging to discover even a semblance of the heart and conviction Willie has infused these tracks with . And thanks Karl for the additional background. As a songwriter , I’m inspired ” beyond words ” . As a music fan , I’ve been plucked from the cold uncaring wilderness that is contemporary commercial radio . I’ve been born again in the key of Willie Watson
May 10, 2014 @ 12:14 pm
The first couple times I listened to Folk Singer, it did not hold my attention. Not bad, just not as interesting as some of the new releases of late. However, I’ll take Trig’s review and Karl’s comments and approach the album from a different angel.
May 10, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
I also think this is an artist where great benefit can be drawn from seeing him live, or even watching videos to better understand his approach. I think this album could hold bigger sway with people who’ve seen him live before.
May 10, 2014 @ 2:26 pm
True. People like me, who already like Old Tyme, Appalachian Mountain Music, Bluegrass, (old) Acoustic Delta / Piedmont Blues, and Folk will take to this immediately. Your readers should definitely check out the videos because that is exactly what they’ll get on this CD.
May 10, 2014 @ 1:47 pm
Great album and a great review!
May 10, 2014 @ 2:10 pm
I can’t wait to give this album a spin. That Bluegrass Situation video of him performing “Mexican Cowboy” blows me away every time I watch it.
May 10, 2014 @ 2:14 pm
The version on the CD is almost identical, and even a slight bit better.
🙂
May 10, 2014 @ 7:59 pm
Great review Trigger. I’ve been following Willie through live recordings and videos on YouTube since his departure from OCMS back in the fall of 2011. I’ve been anxiously waiting for his solo album debut for over two years. That being said, my first impression of the album was a little underwhelming. As you said this album is as simple as one can make it. I probably let his performances with Dave Rawlings Machine, give me the expectation for a bigger production (especially upon news that Dave helped produce it). However, ultimately I’m simply amazed and happy with this great album. It would be great to have seen Willie write some new material but that’s probably all in good time. Despite the simplicity of the album, I felt that Willie has put more emotion in solo performances leading up to album. Go check out Willie on “Living and Breathing” channel on YouTube and you can see what I mean. Overall, I have no true complaints/dissatisfactions, but I would l’ve liked to see the emotion from live cuts translate to the studio recording, especially since he is “solo” in the truest form on this album. Maybe I’m wrong, and maybe that’s the problem with being to anxious, but oh well. 2 guns up for me…
May 11, 2014 @ 12:08 am
With a name like Willie Watson I was hoping for something that combined Willie Nelson and Dale Watson! OK, he might not be such a hybrid but from what I’ve heard this is certainly a classy album. Will have to track it down this week!
May 11, 2014 @ 12:31 pm
Willie’s vocals were a crucial element of OCMS to my ears, and I have not been as into them since he left. I definitely look forward to hearing this entire album.
More generally, though, I like that he is doing an album of standards… I think we need more projects like this, or albums that mix originals and standards as Cash and other artists of the 60s – 70s usually did. As much as I love a great singer-songwriter, I think the emphasis on originality in much of traditional music has been a loss. (Traditional bluegrass is an exception, since standards are still in the repertoire of most bands.) There is a great depth the “American Songbook” and I think it is important for artists to keep that alive. Rosanne Cash’s project of recording her father’s list seemed like a cop-out to some – the kind of thing you do when you run out of ideas, but I loved it.
May 11, 2014 @ 1:02 pm
I think this is a very good point. Thee is so much emphasis on original songs written by the songwriters who perform them with no outside help, it has resulted in music that won’t withstand the test of time like these standards, and a general glut of music content that consumers must sift through. Yes, writing your own songs is great. But so is approaching music for quality, not quantity, or originality just for originality’s sake.
May 11, 2014 @ 11:08 pm
Dude, you’re right about the Willie Watson album’s quality, but I’ve been hate-reading your older Old Crow reviews today and ugh. Watson has been one of the leads of Old Crow for YEARS — and during Fuqua’s long absence, he was just behind Secor in terms of main dude of the band. And Ben Gould literally left the band in, I think, 2002. So referencing him at all is totally weird. The point is, Watson was a wild man in live shows and not there nor on albums did he fade into the background. Certainly not with that eerie-ass voice. Cheers.
May 11, 2014 @ 11:22 pm
Lucy, with all due respect, I think you’re misinterpreting the negative nature of my observances. If you want to disagree about my take on Watson’s role in Old Crow Medicine Show that’s fine, but please don’t take it that I am discounting him or his contributions in any way. In fact it’s quite the contrary. I think his selflessness of playing whatever role was needed at the time was a sign of character, and compliments the straightforward nature with which he approached this project.
May 11, 2014 @ 11:30 pm
Your previous comments on Old Crow’s authenticity or lack thereof may have enhanced my crankiness, sorry about that.
I do get that you dug Watson and his new, awesome album! But I still think you’re completely mis-characterizing Watson’s role in OCMS. Again, contrasting him with Ben Gould makes no sense at all. The guy left more than 12 years ago. Watson was the second lead singer for a solid five years sans Critter F. And that voice, man, made me want to shank any audience members daring to open their yaps whenever he say something quiet.
(Nevertheless, I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be arguing about Willie Watson at 2:30 am my time.)
May 12, 2014 @ 5:22 pm
My contrasting between Willie & Ben Gould had nothing to do with their overall contributions to the band, and more their position in it when there were present in it. But I can understand the stance your taking, and I think that two people can observe the same thing and walk away with different takes.
And I’ll openly admit going back and forth about Old Crow over the years. Overall, I take away a lot more positives than negatives, and was elated when they were recently invited into the Grand Ole Opry. But some of the inflected voices and other small things have kept me from being 100% on them over the years.
May 14, 2014 @ 10:29 pm
Just to clear things up, Ben Gould was the bass player in the band in their very early days, before getting signed to Nettwerk. He left around 2002, and was replaced by Morgan Jahnig, who is still with the band. He never returned to the band, and was never a prominent member of the band when it came to vocal duties.
You may have been thinking of Gill Landry, who first came in as a sort of replacement for Critter Fuqua on banjo and dobro, and has stayed with the band as a more permanent member. Still, he has only sung lead on one song per album that he has been with the band. Willie Watson was most definitely the second front man to Secor from very early on, and remained so up until he left. Fuqua took some of the spotlight as well when he was in the band with Watson (up until about 2007 or so), but Watson was always prominent. I think Lucy was just confused when you mentioned Ben Gould as being more prominent than Watson, especially so when you said this was true in the later edition (although now that I look at the sentence, perhaps you meant that he was a later addition, also untrue). Like I said, you’re probably thinking of Gill Landry, although Chance McCoy and Cory Younts have also become more permanent members of the band. For that matter, Dave Rawlings also played with OCMS for a while, again in Critter’s place.
May 14, 2014 @ 10:52 pm
Whacko,
I think you just solved the caper, because Gill Landry was exactly who I thought I was referencing, and at some point got my wires crossed and Ben’s names got mixed in there accidentally. That makes a lot more sense seeing how I said her came in “later”. I have swapped the names out in the review. Lo and behold, I’m not as perfect as I thought I was ;).
Nonetheless, I still stand behind by observance of Willie as one of the more selfless members of the band. Maybe that’s more my opinion than the reality, but that’s how I always envisioned him.
May 15, 2014 @ 1:30 pm
Hurrah! Mystery and confusion now solved and squared away.
May 15, 2014 @ 1:44 pm
Yes, sorry Lucy. You were making a good point. It was my think skull got in the way. 😉
July 11, 2014 @ 4:08 pm
While Critter was in the band, Willie was sorta between the second and third main person – when Critter left, there’s no doubt Willie was the second. He sang lead on a number of their songs – “Down Home Girl”, “Next Go Round”, and “We Don’t Grow Tobacco” come to mind.
His vocal harmony on “Wagon Wheel” and “Alabama High Test” really put a “shine” on them that would otherwise be missing. On “Wagon Wheel”, when he sings the high harmony, “But I ain’t a turning back..livin’ that life no more” sends chills down my spine because it’s pure emotion!
May 12, 2014 @ 1:02 am
Bloody awesome. Authentic, spirited and haunting. Need to get hold of this.
May 12, 2014 @ 5:56 pm
I think it was obvious Willie was a star from the beginning of the big easy express with this crazy version of train on an island. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZHiI_nE-4U
May 15, 2014 @ 2:27 pm
Great review of this fantastic record!
June 19, 2014 @ 4:03 pm
I love this album. It’s like listening to a high fidelity version of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. And boy, can he sing those old time songs.