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Various Artists
Livin', Lovin', Losin' Songs of the Louvin Brothers
Universal South Records
By Steve Cooper
 Ira
Louvin was a religious man ever pursued by personal demons.
He was married four times and shot five times by one of his wives
(he recovered). He was an incorrigible alcoholic, a narrow-minded
man known to be "plain mean" by those he knew him.
Ira Louvin also wrote some and sang like an angel. His high
tenor voice, riding over brother Charlie's, took the high-low,
hillbilly harmony style of the earlier "brother duets"
and brought it uptown, made it damn near surreal. His lyrics,
ever about love and loss, sin and redemption, were windows to
his tortured soul.
The impact of the Louvins on the country music charts lasted
less than eight years, from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s.
Not two years after the Louvins went their separate ways in
1963, Ira and his fourth wife were killed in a car crash. Charlie
continued a solo career that lasts to this day, but his singing
cannot even approach the harmony heights he and Ira achieved.
And, not being tortured by the same demons as his brother, his
subsequent songs are less interesting.
And, speaking of less interesting, this tribute is, by definition,
less captivating than a Louvin Brothers best-of and/or compilation.
But, as tribute albums go, Livin', Lovin', Losin' is
better than most. For one thing, all the songs were recorded
for this event, unlike some other "tribute" albums
I could name (namely the Louvin Brothers "tribute"
on Sugar Hill Records). Producer Carl Jackson has turned in
a careful, loving project that nicely showcases several Louvin
classics for the "Oh, Brother" crowd. All are duets
and all are decent to exemplary.
The opening cut, "Cash on the Barrelhead," performed
by current country heartthrob Joe Nichols and bluegrass chanteuse
Rhonda Vincent, is more bluegrass harmony than brother harmony,
but is some kind of fine nonetheless. Nichols is yet another
new Nashville "hat guy" who sings a lot like Merle
Haggard, which is not exactly how Charlie would have sung it,
but Vincent does a good approximation of Ira's high, dangerous
harmonies. The result is a better than average bluegrass/country
take of Ira and Charlie's tale of money making the world go around.
Rodney Crowell and ex-boss Emmylou Harris turn back the years
and harmonize perfectly on "My Baby's Gone." Crowell
is especially heart-rending on the lead, displaying his usual,
tastefully mournful tenor. Emmylou occasionally takes a weepy
lead and is double-fine on crying harmonies. (Yeah, I'm going
to be using the word "harmonies" a lot because this
is, after all, a Louvin tribute.) The vocal interaction of Crowell
and Harris is a natural, thanks to their former association.
They should find more excuses to sing together.
The showcase duet (it's the video) on Livin', Lovin', Losin'
is "How's the World Treating You," featuring the all-star
duo of James Taylor and Alison Krauss. Krauss and Taylor trade
the high and low parts seamlessly, the one voice a complement
to the other. The Louvin edge is lost, but they sing it so "purty"
one doesn't mind.
Before mentioning more highlights, let us get the so-so lights
out of the way. Ronnie Dunn and Rebecca Lynn Howard turn in
a rather rote version of "If I Could Only Win Your Love."
The arrangement leans too heavily on the pedal steel and the
pace is loping and predictable. Also so-so is the Carl Jackson/Linda
Ronstadt take of "The New Partner Waltz." Again, the
pace is predictable. Jackson has an interesting voice, as does
Ronstadt, but neither catches fire here. Ditto for the Carl
Jackson/Larry Cordle/Jerry Salley take of "You're Running
Wild." Methinks too much room is left for the instrumental
solos. When the emphasis is placed on the vocal harmonies at
the end of the song, the song finally takes flight, only to end
shortly thereafter.
Okay, back to the highlights of this mostly fine tribute.
To my ears, the unexpected gem of the whole set is turned in
by Glen Campbell on "When I Stop Dreaming," with able
assistance from Leslie Satcher. Glen, who has had some demons
similar to Ira, gets deep into the song from the get-go. The
years have deepened his voice a bit and he still possesses a
most athletic set of pipes. Hopefully, Glen will "go Americana"
in a big way and make a comeback. His performance here shows
he is more than capable.
Bluegrass legend Red Allen's boy Harley gives a soulfully
memorable stamp to "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby,"
abetted by Nashville newcomer Dierks Bentley. For a lot of years,
Harley has been bluegrass' best kept secret, a monster talent
as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. His honeyed voice
is a bluegrass classic in the mode of a Del McCoury, a Larry
Sparks, or a Dave Evans. Dierks Bentley is quite a surprise.
Most new Nashvillians cannot sing a ragged-but-right high harmony
like this kid can. If there were any justice, this would be
the next video, but, of course, the "names" aren't
big enough.
Dolly Parton and Sonya Isaacs perform a rousing "sister
duet" on Charlie and Ira's "The Angels Rejoiced."
When Dolly keeps the aw-shucks hokum to a minimum, she is a
force to be reckoned with. Dolly takes the lower lead here,
with Isaacs warbling the high parts. The lyric is typical, tortured
Ira: "The angels rejoiced in heaven last night/I heard my
daddy praying 'Dear God, make it right'." This may, indeed,
be the next video, Dolly being big of name and big ofwell
This able tribute is concluded with Pam Tillis and the Jordanaires
belting out the Ira spiritual "Keep Your Eyes on Jesus."
Johnny Cash, a man who knew a lot of Ira-ism in his own life,
performs the biblical recitation in the middle of the song about
the disciple Peter and his attempted walk on the water. Ira,
the ever repentant sinner, couldn't resist moralizing at the
end of the passage: "Being tossed in this life by disappointments
and temptations, we are very much the same as this disciple.
If we want to walk with Jesus, we must keep our eyes on him,
and not the pleasures of this world." The message by Ira
via Johnny is powerful because sinners make the best witnesses.
Good work, Carl Jackson. Now do the same for the Delmore
Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, and the Everly Brothers.
Contact Steve Cooper at: cooper-at-rockzilla.net
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