It`s been about a thousand years since troubadours took the medieval French entertainment world by storm. Musical styles (and one or two other things) have changed since then, but the witty new minstrel who invents a pleasing song and attaches it to an entertaining story of romance and adventure is still always welcome at the court. Modern-day troubadours (known these days by the less romantic title of singer-songwriters) served up some of the more interesting efforts in this week`s bundle of new releases; though each works in a different style, all have a special gift for crafting songs.
John Kilzer could have had several careers other than the one of wandering minstrel. At 6 foot 6, he might have found a cozy berth in professional basketball. He did find a nice little niche in academia for five years before throwing it all away for the rock `n` roll life. Since his 1988 debut, Kilzer has probably wondered about the sanity of that decision, but he hasn`t looked back. This week he released his second album, ”Busman`s Holiday” (Geffen). The Southern rock style of his first release has given way to a wider, rootsier sound; his songs are laced with interesting ideas about dreams, spirituality (his master`s thesis, after all, was about Jungian symbolism in the poetry of Yeats!) and the ever-popular ”Love and Happiness” (to borrow the title of the Al Green tune Kilzer covers with spirit on this new album).
Guitarist Leo Kottke once joked that his voice sounded like certain noises geese make following a good dinner, but after 20 albums and more than two decades in the business, he apparently has gotten used to the sound.
”Great Big Boy,” released this week on Private, is Kottke`s first album to feature his voice on every track. It also features guests Lyle Lovett, the Cowboy Junkies` Margo Timmons and production by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.
One thing that always set modern-pop band Squeeze apart from the crowd was the strong songwriting skills of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. The two are up to their old tricks again on the new Reprise album from Squeeze,
”Play.” (Get it?) Drummer Gilson Lavis and bassist Keith Wilkinson are still in the band. Departed keyboardist Jools Holland is replaced here by guests Bruce Hornsby and Steve Nieve of Elvis Costello`s Attractions.
Mark Collie established himself as another rising young talent in country music with his 1990 debut, ”Hardin County Line.” His `50s blue-collar country is a bit different from the neo-traditional sound (though it still fits in with the spirit of contemporary country) and his vivid down-home story-songs attracted heaps of critical praise. Collie just released his second album, ”Born and Raised in Black and White” (MCA). He is joined by a solid cast of Nashville studio vets, including Mac McAnally, James Burton and Steve Gibson. Collie shares songwriting credits here with Marty Stuart, Paul Kennerley and John Jarvis. There`s even a number by that great Hollywood troubadour, Robert Mitchum (?!), who co-wrote ”The Ballad of Thunder Road”
with Don Raye for that cult film, in which he appeared. Laugh if you want, but Mitchum recorded the song and put it on the charts not once but twice, in 1958 and again in 1962.
Going up the country
Johnny Shines, a traveling companion of Robert Johnson in the `30s, and Chicago blues vet Snooky Pryor have teamed up on ”Back to the Country”
(Blind Pig). The album includes four Johnson songs, along with songs from Shines, Pryor and guitarist-pianist John Nicholas, who plays guitar and piano on the album.
