One Endless Night
Though often praised as a songwriter, Jimmie Dale Gilmore mostly considers himself a "song lover." Thus it should come as no surprise that 10 of the baker's dozen songs onOne Endless Nightare covers. Nor should it surprise anyone that Gilmore's distinctive plaintive twang so effectively conveys his passion for these songs. On his first record in nearly four years, Gilmore looks to his fellow contemplative Texans to provide much of the material here: songs byTownes Van Zandt,Walter Hyatt, andWillis Alan Ramseyjoin a pair from fellowFlatlanderButch Hancock. Add to that songs by "outsiders" likeJohn Hiatt,Jesse Winchester, theGrateful Dead(a lovely reading of "Ripple"), and even Kurt Weill (a spooky reading of "Mack the Knife"), and you get a sense of who Gilmore is as an artist: entrenched in country music, he also has an open and curious mind, a wandering spirit, and an affection for timeless melodies. Boasting an assortment of guests, including coproducerBuddy Miller(another firmly rooted freethinker),Emmylou Harris, andJim Lauderdale,One Endless Nightis as vast and dusty, as soothing and warm as the high Texas plains.--Marc Greilsamer