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- Slaid Cleaves
Wishbones
Philo 11671-1238-2
- By Bonny Holder
 When
I moved to New Mexico from Milwaukee, back in 1986, I stood in
a Native jewelry store, gazing longingly at turquoise chandelier
earrings that would hang down ny neck if I put them on. "I
just can't wear something that flashy," I told the
clerk.
"Wait until you live in the southwest longer," he
said, wisely. "You will become more expansive in time."
Slaid Cleaves moved to Austin from Maine in the early 1990's.
He put out two respectable albums on Rounder/Philo, "No
Angel Knows," in 1996, and the critically acclaimed "Broke
Down" in 2000. The Austin Chron called it "The first
great Texas album of the 21st Century."
These are both fine recordings, but it is with his 3rd Philo
recording, the newly-released "Wishbones," that Slaid
truly expresses the expansiveness of his spirit.
I've seen Slaid play a handful of times over the past few
years. I've met him casually. You introduce yourself to Slaid,
he nods his head. He's not a huggy-guy, though his ruddy pink
cheeks makes me want to pinch one between my thumb & forefinger.
He's so cute for his age! He and his very able band always
do an excellent show, professional, funny in the right spots,
creative and satisfying, but I never come away saying: "Slaid
was really on the edge tonight! Whoa! I worry about him! He's
just wwwwaaaay outta control."
And it's not like Slaid has to exude danger or anything.
I didn't really envision Slaid needing to exorcize inner demons.
While some of his song lyrics deal with down-and-outers, from
his handsome demeanor, good haircut, and general tidyness, you
don't sense that he's coming from a place of personal revealation.
On the other hand, he's sensitive to the condition of others,
and his sweet voice, though disciplined, is fine and has range
and a complexity of tone that is gentle and plaintiff, and strong
and husky at the same time. He chooses to make music with people
who share his taste in arrangements, including musician/producer
Gurf Morlix. I really like Morlix's sense of production, and
his guitar work on "Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues" is nothing
short of brilliant.
Other guest singers on the CD include fiddler Darcie Deaville,
and Red House Records diva Eliza Gilkyson, who, along with Cleaves,
is included in the loosely-knit group of Woody Guthrie afficionados
traveling the country in the Ribbon of Highway tours. Jeff Plankenhorn,
Ian "Mac" McLagan, Rick Richards, Charles Arthur, Brian
Sandefer, Ivan Brown, Billy Bright and Eleanor Whitmore lend
their considerable talent to this 11 track album.
It's good to hear lyrics that tell stories. Slaid is a wonderful
chronicler of adventure stories. In "Quick As Dreams,"
Cleaves tells the story of two young rodeo riders, as told by
the surviving one. "My name is Tommy Luther, I'll soon
be 84. I'll show you a little picture I keep tucked in this
old drawer," he sings. You can almost smell the dry
wood and crumpling photo paper.
In "Horses", which Cleaves also wrote, he tells
of Willie, who is a little problematic. "'Well, I'll
be go to hell,' he said, 'I got nothing but a Ford and a barn
full of hay. If it weren't for horses and divorces, I'd be a
lot better off today.'"
Slaid is equally discriminating about the lyrics of others'
songs. "Tiger Tom Dixon had a gift from God. He could
hit you quick, he could hit you hard. In a world where a man's
hands are put to the test, Tiger Tom Dixon's hands were the best,"
he sings in Rod Picott's ode to an alcoholic boxer.
Slaid Cleaves has lived in the southwest long enough to become
expansive, like that clerk told me was likely to happen, and
it really works for him. He's out on the road supporting this
CD. If he comes your way, I advise you to check him out. You'll
be glad you did. Pinch him on the cheek for me, OK?
P.S. The last time I went on a music trip to Austin, I bought
myself a pair of earrings made of wine-colored sparkling stones.
They hang all the way to my shoulders.
www.slaidcleaves.com
You can contact Bonny Holder at bonny-at-rockzilla.net
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