By Wil Comstock
MCAU Contributing Writer
City Winery
Sept. 12 (Friday)
Ron Pope went viral on My Space in 2007. He released four independent albums before signing with Universal Republic, which released two singles. After that, Pope created his own label, Brooklyn Basement Records. His appeal to the party crowd was evident on the swamp rock numbers “Let’s Get Stoned” and “Nobody’s Gonna Make It Out Alive.”
Joe Henry and Mike Reid met as fellow instructors at a local song camp. Mike started the conversation by asking Henry who his favorite poets were. They hit it off right away resulting in Henry sending Reid some lyrics. The next day, Joe received an mp3 of what Mike came up with. This continued until there was an album’s worth of music. Joe took the original piano vocals and added sparse production.
The band at City Winery was comprised of Reid on piano, Joe on guitar, a pedal steel player, and Levon Henry (Joe’s son) on tenor sax and clarinet. The music swelled and took me off to another land, reminding me of mid-career Joni Mitchell. Mike Reid’s seasoned voice was the perfect vehicle for these songs. Heavenly! I especially enjoyed “The Bridge,” “Life and Time,” “History,” and the huge Reid/Shamblin co-write for Bonnie Raitt, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
I could listen to David Nail’s honest and aching voice all night. He sings country like it should be sung, from experience. He writes or co-writes most of his songs. He’s not afraid to talk about his depression, saying “It’s just who I am.” Highlights of the evening included “Strangers on a Train,” “Let it Rain,” and the new “I Got Everything I Want.”
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