![]() ![]() They have been performing for years, and developed a faithful following which attests to the transformative power of their music. It is almost impossible to attach a style to this timeless quintet. And the way Tommy Emmanuel fits right in and helps fuel the fires is a timeless testament to what this music can be at its height. At a time when modern country music can head a bit too close to the beauty shop, all it takes is an album like this to show the towering strengths of an absolute American art form. The song selection–ranging from Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freight Liner Blues” to Jimmie Driftwood’s “Tennessee Stud”–even includes new Tommy Emmanuel originals that can stand side-by-side with the classics. In the end, it is worth it because Tommy Emmanuel sounds like not only is he on fire to deliver his very best, but so are all his guests. The logistics and legal contracts alone are enough to melt a stick of butter on an ear of corn. There haven’t been many albums quite like it, ranging from special guests like Billy Strings, Jamey Johnson, Sam Bush, Little Feat, Michael McDonald, Jerry Douglas, Del McCoury Band, Jorma Kaukonen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, David Grisman, Raul Malo and a hay bale more, all playing their hearts out for the sheer love of country songs. Listening to ACCOMPLICE TWO in one sitting is like getting a history lesson and massive jolt of country juju simultaneously. This knocked-out release has many special guests, much musical excellence and just downright righteousness to it, Emmanuel might even be awarded a Medal of Honor from the Congress in D.C. This Australian whiz is so immersed in American country music there’s a good chance he’s received a passport out of respect by the State Department for all he’s done for the idiom. To get lost in a long guitar solo and not really know where it came from nor does it matter is to crack the true code of rock, and these four Ducks are ready to supply the secret. That’s what rock & roll was invented for, and hopefully that will continue into the foreseeable future. Like with most things in life, it’s best to be grateful for today and celebrate the present. There have been bootlegs galore of these recordings, but now that the Neil Young Archives is releasing a wide range of legendary tapes, there is no telling what might come next. Songs like the Bob Mosley (ex-Moby Grape) classic “Gypsy Wedding,” Neil Young’s “Are You Ready For the Country?” and others here pour the fuel on the fire and much to the delight of the lucky audience in the houses everything took off for the roof. Bars are the spot that so much of where rock & roll was invented, and when it returns home expectations are turned down and excitement turned up. In some ways, that is the highest point of a song’s life, when it’s being performed nearly in the dark. The music sounds like something that was being played for the first time, with all the kick and freshness of a sound that had just been invented, with no expectations to be fulfilled and nothing but fun to be had from it all. Nights at the Crossroads Club, The Back Room at the New Riverside, the Catalyst, the Steamship and others, including for a few days Magic Devices studio, are still being talked about for those lucky enough to have been there. Neil Young, Bob Mosley, Jeff Blackburn and Johnny Craviotto took to mostly small spots in the Santa Cruz area and turned it up. The Ducks didn’t exist that long in Summer 1977, but when they did come together there weren’t many outfits playing better anywhere in the world. ![]() There’s not much better than a truly great bar band in a great bar. The world becomes a little less heavy, the future feels that somehow it will be brighter, and ultimately even though no one gets out of this life alive at least there is a sense that it will be worth it. This is a healing job, this music, and there can be no doubt when it works. It finds its final strength in the hard emotions expressed inside the songs, all the time delivered with the eternal forgiveness the best blues can extend. The way Davis plays guitar sets the tone for the simplicity so much of the greatest blues has. For an early blues player like the 78-year-old Clarence “Bluesman” Davis straight out of Eutaw, Alabama, there is nothing he cannot accomplish. It’s something that demands total dedication and devotion to helping others. At its essence, the blues is an instrument, a voice and a dedication to doing something about helping humans find the light. Yes, there are plenty of players that still take on that Herculean task of making a mountain out of pain and joy, but the way it’s presented has moved beyond the elemental into a world of entertainment. In so many ways it feels like the blues, that music which started in a world of hurt and moved through changes that helped turn the world around, is shrinking. Clarence “Bluesman” Davis, Shake It for Me.
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