Tom Russell
Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs
(Hightone)
With a dozen songs evenly balanced between originals and well-chosen covers, Russell evokes vivid Wild West images: Barfights, hangings and ornery bulls make for rich stories. Rough-hewn characters are thick, whether in Linda Thompson’s gorgeous “No Telling,” Bob Dylan’s “Seven Curses” or Russell’s own salute to the late environmental warrior Edward Abbey. Few recent releases so embody the potential of folk music to stir the imagination.
—Doug Taylor
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
