http://www.proper-records.co.uk
Tom Russell’s latest project, The Rose Of Roscrae is the prolific singer-songwriter’s his third folk opera; following in the footsteps of The Man From God Knows Where (1999) and Hotwalker (2005). Like the former it is a wonderful, deeply researched and involved affair, not the kind of record you put together overnight. The idea may well have, but to put the music, musicians and vast array of guests in order and allocated to the songs most of which he wrote is another matter entirely.
Few people but Russell would have even tackled such a project, never mind pull it off in such majestic fashion. Because that is exactly what the album is, side two in particular burns a trail most others wouldn’t dare dream of attaining. It is that good, seriously. I dared to doubt the project on first hearing what he had done, but I have not hard the music, and the incredible work of his guests, it is like they placed as much into the record as Russell himself. Apart from being hugely talented, and possessing an amazing hunger to create, be authentic and true to tradition Russell has the sense to allow those involved room to express their true self too! No easy thing to do as Russell traces, loosely, the steps of an Irish kid who leaves home for America in the 1880s to become a cowboy; a frontiersman, and more.
Co-produced with Barry Walsh, piano player, writer and husband to Gretchen Peters with whom Russell has in the past both written and recorded the list of players stretched across the 52 tracks is immense, it covers everyone from Joe Ely to John Trudell by way of the McCrary Sisters, Maura O’Connell, Jimmy Lafave, David Olney (spoken word), Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Gurf Morlix, Eliza Gilkyson, Guy Clark, Ian Tyson, Fats Kaplin, Augie Meyers, Peters and Walsh and more besides. It is a big, big cast; and that is not forgetting cameo pieces pulled from vintage recordings from Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter, Leadbelly, and American writer Walt Whitman.
Russell’s songs aided by the likes of “The Water Is Wide”, “Streets Of Laredo”, “Sam Hall”, “Carrickfergus”, “When I Was A Cowboy”, “Just A Closer Walk With Thee”, “The Railroad Boy” and others, among which he even performs as part of his “Irish Medley”, a verse or two from “Raglan Road” and with Gilmore, Clark and Dan Penn in tow “West Texas Montage” too. There is a true feast of material on show as far flung places of Europe join American, Mexican and Canadian all become dovetailed.
As noted above Act Two opens with inspired performances from Maura O’Connell, Eliza Gilkyson (via a tour de force version of “Jesus Met The Woman At The Well”) and Gretchen Peters. Interspersed with entries from the man himself as he speaks of Mexico, “Doin’ Time In Texas”, and while it could be argued he overdoes his Borderland’s intonations, this hiccup is so minor it's hardly worth mentioning. Progressing through Act 2 Joe Ely and Ian Tyson and Augie Meyers rise to the occasion on “Gallo del Cielo”, “He’ll Be Dead By Morning”, respectively. There is more, lots more. “Isn’t It Grand? among them, fittingly it is O’Connell who has never sounded better with “The Rose Of Roscrae” in the company of Uilleann pipes who rounds off the collection.
With his imagination and creative yen in prime form as no stone is left unturned by Russell, as his trusty helpers rub off one another as they create and distribute a wondrous charm and throughout the set.
After the dust has settled with Russell rested after touring behind the collection we will be thinking, what next? Surely, he won’t be able to match anything like this again?
Maurice Hope