Good Old Boys
Beyond his best-known composition, theGlen Campbellhit "Gentle on My Mind," John Hartford's idiosyncratic, irreverent spin on traditional Southern music has continued for three decades unimpaired by commercial considerations. Since the early 1970s, his willingness to toy with convention made him a forerunner of the progressive bluegrass movement, though he's rarely credited as such. Recorded with a small group of sidemen, this collection of tongue-in-cheek originals has the spontaneity of a jam session. "Waltz of the Golden Rule," "Billy the Kid," and the bent "Watching the River Go By" are quintessential Hartford, showcasing the sophisticated goofiness that's as much his trademark as his derby hat. "The Cross-Eyed Child," a heartfelt, highly personal 10-minute memoir/elegy of Hartford's long friendship withBill Monroe, captures Monroe's pained youth and enduring genius in a way that even the most learned musicologist couldn't match.--Rich Kienzle