|
|
 |
|
|
| ARCHIVE : Capital News December 2009 (Vol 34 No. 12) |
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON – CLOSER TO THE BONE
Bob Howe
Around the time of his 70th birthday in 2006, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON released one of his most introspective albums, This Old Road, reflecting on his legacy and mortality.
Producer DON WAS captured Kristofferson up-close and largely unadorned and Rolling Stone magazine described it as “one of the finest albums of his storied career”.
For his new 2009 album Closer To The Bone, Don Was is again at the helm and Kristofferson regards this as a sequel to the previous set. He sums up the irony of many lives, perhaps even how he feels about his own, in the opening title song with the observation, “Ain’t it kinda funny, ain’t it just the way though, ain’t you getting better as you’re running out of time.”
Kristofferson says, “I like the intimacy of the new album. It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all are at this end of life.” The subject matter ranges from the musician’s family, love and loss, the big issues and personal friends. His guitar and harmonica are complimented by sparse musical accompaniment from the sensitive band with Don Was on bass, JIM KELTNER on drums and RAMI JAFFEE of the Wallflowers on keyboards. Completing the line-up is the late STEPHEN BRUTON on guitar, mandolin and vocals and one of Kristofferson’s closest friends and musical associates for four decades. Kristofferson dedicates the album to Bruton, his “soul-brother”.
Several of the new recordings are songs Kristofferson has had kicking around for some time now. He previously attempted to cut Good Morning John with Willie Nelson on harmony vocals: “I got to that line where I say, ‘I love you, John,’ and Willie sang, ‘He loves you, John.’ I said, ‘C’mon, Willie, you can say, ‘I love you, John.’ I guess it embarrassed him. Anyway, we ended up not putting it out then.”
Kristofferson’s relationship with Johnny Cash got off to a somewhat shaky start. Around 1966, as the janitor at Columbia studios in Nashville, Kristofferson tried for years to get his songs noticed and recorded by Cash, passing on demo tapes via June Carter cash and guitarist Luther Perkins. Eventually, with his patience wearing thin, Kristofferson took extreme measures and landed a helicopter in Cash’s yard and delivered a tape in person. “I was lucky he didn’t shoot me out of the sky”, he later remarked. The gamble paid off and Cash’s recording of Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down would be a landmark moment in the careers of both men and the start of a long and close friendship.
Two other songs on the album can be linked to real events. Sister Sinead is about the 1992 furore created when Irish rock singer SINEAD O'CONNOR famously railed against the Catholic Church on US television. Two weeks later she performed at a birthday concert for BOB DYLAN in New York, and was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos. She staggered offstage, where she was comforted by Kristofferson. In the lyric of Sister Sinead he defends her right to protest and paints a touching portrait of a troubled, yet brave misunderstood soul.
The late EDDIE RABBITT became the national spokesman for the American Council on Transplantation in 1985at the time when he and his wife lost their 2-year-old son. From the memory of this event, Kristofferson gives us the poignant tale of loss and overcoming grief, Hall of Angels (Dedicated To Eddie Rabbitt’s Lost Child). On a lighter note, there is also an unlisted track, introduced as the first song Kristofferson ever wrote, at the age of 11. The title, I Hate Your Ugly Face, tells it all.
In the past, Kristofferson has been a welcome visitor to our shores, touring Australia in his own right and as a member of the country supergroup THE HIGHWAYMEN. In 1974 he performed here with his then wife, singer RITA COOLIDGE and a band that included BILLY SWAN. Taken by the talents of the local teenage support act for the tour, they went to Festival Studios in Sydney to produce tracks that would become the debut album for a young GRAEME CONNORS. At that time, Kristofferson was awaiting the news as to whether he had won the role in the movie A Star Is Born alongside BARBRA STREISAND. His film career has continued alongside his musical path. The now 73-year-old performer explains how things eventuate; “I was overseas doing a film when I got the opportunity to work in Ireland, and I didn’t have time to martial the troops. So I went out by myself, and it worked. I’ve been really surprised at selling out the shows everywhere.” Eight songs recorded live at the Olympia Theater in Dublin, are included as a bonus disc with the new album. Amongst them are welcome live versions of his classic early songs Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, For The Good Times and Why Me?
Last month Kristofferson was recognised as a BMI Icon at the performing rights organization’s Country Awards. On that night he declared, “…The great thing about being a songwriter is you can hear your baby interpreted by so many people that have creative talents vocally that I don't have.” That may be true, but you can never underestimate the power of a song when performed by the original writer. As he also observes, regarding his recent concert work, “…Something was making a direct communication with the audience and I guess it must be down to the essence of the songs. Because God knows, there’s better guitar players and singers. But it seems to be working with my material…just me and the song.”
Closer To The Bone is available in Australia on New West via Shock Records (NW 6172).
|
|
|
| << more from this issue |
|
|
|
|
|
