e_burrell's Full Review: It'll Come to You... The Songs of John Hiatt
Tribute albums have a complete universe and existence unto themselves. It seems that every artist who's ever even had a minor hit has had a lackluster disc pressed in his honor. This disc is invariably filled with a bunch of no-talent hacks, just begging to have their name attached to the project. In most cases the artists who are giving tribute are doing so because their record label wants to get them more exposure.
While I'll concede this is a pretty jaded viewpoint on standard business operations in the industry it's all too often true. Thank goodness the folks over at Vanguard Records have banded together a group of genre luminaries to cover and pay high respects to Mr. John Hiatt on "It'll Come To You... The Songs Of John Hiatt". New cover versions join old familiar ones recorded before, and this compilation is a real treat.
While Hiatt has never had a top ten hit himself, many of his best songs have been recorded by more popular artists including Roseanne Cash (who appears on the album), Conway Twitty, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Milsap. You may also remember his ubiquitous-on-adult-contemporary-stations hit "Perfectly Good Guitar". A songwriter who is truly alone in craftsmanship, I've always admired what Hiatt accomplishes when he puts pen to paper - that creative spark and flash of brilliance has shone through the years in even his 'throwaway' tunes.
Each tune selected for inclusion on "It'll Come To You..." blends Hiatt's trademark catchy choruses and country rock feel. The songs seem light and breezy at first, but the layers upon layers of meaning can be wrung out like water from a wet towel with each listen.
Highlights include the beautiful Linda Ronstadt doing the beautiful "When We Ran". No matter how old Ronstadt gets, she can still belt out the notes - this is a tour de force and shouldn't be missed. "Riding With The King" (Eric Clapton and B.B. King), Bonnie Raitt's "Thing Called Love" and Buddy Guy's rendition of "Feels Like Rain" wonderfully capture the blues element that's so evident in all Hiatt's music. "Feels Like Rain" is especially intoxicating - part Hendrix, part Al Green, ALL Buddy Guy.
"Icy Blue Heart" with Emmy Lou Harris is undeniable - the woman is a force and even though this tune was recorded in 1989, it sounds like yesterday to me. Willie Nelson's rendition of "The Most Unoriginal Sin" is another highlight - cowboy jangles and all.
"It'll Come To You... The Songs Of John Hiatt" is worth a listen. Hiatt's storytelling told through these capable voices over the years is truly a lot of fun to take in. This kind of compilation and tribute album is a good idea, and let's all hope this kind of standard is kept with forthcoming albums of the like.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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