Harry Smiths
Whether under his given name or under the guise of hisbon vivantalter egoBuster Poindexter, David Johansen has long displayed a keen appreciation for roots music. Having pioneered punk as the frontman for theNew York Dollsand achieved a measure of fame as a purveyor of party music under the Poindexter nom de plume, Johansen here delves into country blues with the backing of a quartet that takes its name from the man who produced the landmarkAnthology of American Folk Music. Actually, only two songs here come from Harry Smith's exhaustive anthology. Elsewhere, Johansen and the adroit backing foursome tackle the likes ofMuddy Waters's "Little Geneva,"Lightnin' Hopkins's "Katie Mae," andMississippi John Hurt's "Richland Woman" with surprising insight and sympathy--surprising, given the broad strokes Buster tends to favor. Johansen even revisitsSonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me Talking," a track the Dolls did two and a half decades earlier on their glam classicToo Much Too Soon, in the process demonstrating that a great song never gets old.--Steven Stolder