When reviewing covers, we generally talk in terms of a particular artist, song, or album being covered. A covers album taking a broader look at a theme or genre comes along relatively rarely. There’s a free new two-disc collection out there that does just that, though, hitting the mark spot on. OndaDrops Vol 4: Oneway Ticket to Nowhere is a collection of contemporary artists covering American country outlaw singer-songwriters from the ’70s. United by the same desire for sincerity, and impatience with the rules and conventions of glitzy Nashville, modern folk/country artists perform songs about alcohol abuse, sleeping around, and living a life on the edge of society.
For this twenty-two track collection, Italian website ondarock asked a group of contemporary indie folk and country artists to reinterpret the songs of these protagonists. Some of the notable tracks include the Great Lake Swimmers doing Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues,” Midnight Jones performing Johnny Cash‘s classic “Folsom Prison Blues,” and The Fancy Dan Band tackling Merle Haggard‘s “Workin’ Man Blues.” Other notable renegade artists covered include Hank Williams, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Townes Van Zandt, and Waylon Jennings. Though curated in Italy, this is a tribute that aims to capture the essence of the American heartland – a land of dreamers, adventurers and honky-tonk heroes – and it does so beautifully.
Check out a few samples below, then head to ondaraock to download the 2 CD album.
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – Dublin Blues (Guy Clark cover)
[audio: News0711/15DublinBlues.mp3]
MP3: West of the Shore – Closer to the Bone (Kris Kristofferson cover)
[audio: News0711/15ClosertotheBone.mp3]
MP3: The Fishermen Three – Always Late (With Your Kisses) (Lefty Frizell cover)
[audio: News0711/15AlwaysLate.mp3]
Download ‘OndaDrops Vol 4: Oneway Ticket to Nowhere’ at ondaraock.
