Fred Eaglesmith...Tinderbox(2008)[EAC.FLAC]

2008 Tinderbox CD SRV-047

1 Sweet Corn
2 Chain Gang
3 Shoulder To the Plow
4 Quietly
5 Tinderbox
6 Killing Me
7 Worked Up Field
8 I Pray Now
9 You Can't Trust Them
10 Get On Your Knees
11 Fancy God
12 Wheels
13 Killing Me II
14 Stand
15 Reprise
16 The Light Brigade
17 Shoeshine
18 When

Now that John Stewart has gone and left us, and Tom Waits seems to have all but disappeared (well he hasnΓΓé¼Γäót really as heΓΓé¼Γäós about to undertake an European tour), Eaglesmith is poised to pick up the mantle of the gruff man of Americana.

When you name an album ΓΓé¼╦£TinderboxΓΓé¼Γäó then maybe youΓΓé¼Γäóre looking to start some sort of blaze. But whilst this album doesnΓΓé¼Γäót exactly burn in its fiery delivery itΓΓé¼Γäós certainly intense.

Eaglesmith has been around for ages; always bubbling under as the next big thing, but in reality merely a cult, with his dedicated followers. Much like Waits and Stewart then.

As with those guys the message is in the lyrics. The music seems to merely accompany what heΓΓé¼Γäós saying, whereas other artists try to hide their thoughts behind a wall of sound, Eaglesmith does the opposite. You can imagine these lyrics with different musical genres accompanying them and theyΓΓé¼Γäód still work.

ThereΓΓé¼Γäós a lot of laments for poor souls here. ΓΓé¼╦£Get On Your KneesΓΓé¼Γäó outlines how the narrator has come to save souls from Satan and ΓΓé¼╦£Fancy GodΓΓé¼Γäó states ΓΓé¼┼ôThat God you got is a fancy God and heΓΓé¼Γäós not one I knowΓΓé¼┬¥. Yikes, that should get the bible belt up in arms. ΓΓé¼╦£Killing MeΓΓé¼Γäó sums up the trials and tribulations of day to day life; ΓΓé¼┼ôUp on the high ground, down on my knees, this old world is killing me. Gotta have rain if you want to plant seed.ΓΓé¼┬¥

And not forgetting the shysters and swindlers who are also after your soul, which drug dealers are of course. ΓΓé¼╦£You CanΓΓé¼Γäót Trust ThemΓΓé¼Γäó advises amphetamine buyers to ΓΓé¼┼ôCount your fingers, when you shake their hand cause they steal your wealth as fast as they canΓΓé¼┬¥ and insists ΓΓé¼┼ôBells softly ring beneath their steeple, theyΓΓé¼Γäóre selling souls and theyΓΓé¼Γäóre dealing people.ΓΓé¼┬¥

Eaglesmith captures loads of eccentricities in his musings and also manages to deceive the listener with music that shouldnΓΓé¼Γäót ΓΓé¼╦£matchΓΓé¼Γäó the words. ΓΓé¼╦£I Pray NowΓΓé¼Γäó uses the working chain gang spiritual chants so beloved of film directors, whereas ΓΓé¼╦£Chain GangΓΓé¼Γäó doesnΓΓé¼Γäót. See what he did there. Clever ainΓΓé¼Γäót he? And he does the same on other tracks when he brings in the alt-country, gospel and folk blues.

Eighteen songs and not one ΓΓé¼╦£happyΓΓé¼Γäó one amongst them. But there are plenty of songs of hope and thatΓΓé¼Γäós as it should be.

cd ripped by EAC

please seed


http://dickthespic.org/2010/10/30/fred-eaglesmith/