Guy Clark,
Workbench Songs



Label: Dualtone Records

(4½ out of 5)

This fall work took me to Indiana, where the gray skies and low fog suited my mood. I was beset with the pangs of leaving my family for a few days, plus I had to struggle through strong headwinds in a rental that more closely resembled a wizard's buggy than a real car. Tiring of the dusky scenery and the inability to find anything listenable across the radio dial, I popped in Guy Clark's Workbench Songs. And within a few minutes, this tasty slice of Texas cookin' helped clear the myriad thoughts scrambling my mind.

Workbench Songs re-stakes Clark's claim as perhaps Texas' greatest living singer/songwriter. One can practically hear the master storyteller's crinkled grins on playful numbers like "Tornado Time in Texas," "Worry B Gone," and "Analog Girl." But there's a serious side too, and that's where his artistry truly shines. "Magdalene" is a gorgeous ballad as timeless as "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train" or "Dublin Blues." The bittersweet "Funny Bones" and studio debut of "Out in the Parkin' Lot" provide glimpses into everyday misery and mischief. And of course Clark pays touching tribute to soulmate Townes Van Zandt, this time with a somber cover of "No Lonesome Tune."

Once a staunch do-it-yourselfer, Clark has slowly come to embrace co-writing. And on Workbench Songs he draws upon longtime friends and newfound collaborators like Rodney Crowell, Darrell Scott, Lee Roy Parnell, BR5-49 frontman Chuck Mead, and touring partner Verlon Thompson. Though co-creations, each song fully reflects Clark's sparkling wit and craftsman's touch.

Now 65 and recently victorious over cancer, Clark is a fighter and a survivor. And like me that autumn Sunday, the displaced Texan knows the heartache of being a stranger in a strange land. Hopefully Grammy® voters find similar beauty in this touchstone troubadour and justly reward Workbench Songs with best contemporary folk/Americana honors come February.

Reviewed by Patrick Nichols (email)
December 14, 2006