Two Roads
Singer-songwriters are loners, by and large, and few have enjoyed a close relationship of the sort that Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have forged over the years. Friends since their west Texas childhood, they first recorded together in 1972 as theFlatlanders, but it wasn't until this superb 1990 live album that they reunited for a full set of cosmic, twangy folk. Trading songs back and forth, supported only by their guitars and Hancock's harmonica, the duo revisit Flatlanders classics, tunes byJimmie Rodgersand theCarter Family,Paul Kelly's "Special Treatment," and mostly a host of Hancock's best originals. Hancock has recorded frequently in such spontaneous settings, but not Gilmore: his singing truly shines, unfettered by superfluous backing and urged on by Hancock's easygoing harmonies. As single discs go, these 15 songs make for an ideal introduction to two singular voices.--Roy Kasten