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Don’t Fear the Reaper While most maturing musicians either burn out or fade away, some have what it takes to endure. Here are five time-tested artists who have managed to avoid the amusement park and casino circuit—or worse yet—the retirement home. MARK TEO Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream Sure, the Poet Laureate of the heartland might have garnered critical acclaim for his contribution to The Wrestler, but unlike Mickey Rourke, his career needed no resuscitation. Having reunited with the E-Street Band, his newest work is as exuberant as ever: 2007’s Magic shakes as effortlessly as Born to Run (sax solos and all), and 2009’s Working on a Dream finds the band surrounding Bruce’s heartfelt musings with lush, cinematic instrumentation. While he might fancy himself an everyman savant, his well-deserved status amongst rock ’n’ roll’s royalty—and his ticket prices—beg to differ.
Steve Earle – Townes Lately, the chatter at the Earle family reunions has been directed towards his son, Justin Townes, but Steve’s still been doing what he’s always done best—being roots rock’s raspy answer to Stephen Colbert. Long exiled by Nashville, country’s most revered, and reviled, gadfly has undergone a late-career renaissance. Along with the newly pressed Townes, a tribute to his friend-mentor Townes Van Zandt, his other recent recordings—specifically The Revolution Starts… Now and Jerusalem—have Earle penning facetious love songs to the sexless Condoleezza Rice (“Condi Condi”), crooning ballads from the perspective of American Taliban members (“John Walker’s Blues”), and snarling down-south critiques of America’s military-industrial complex (“Home to Houston”). As his gut swells in his Carlsberg years, so, too, apparently, do his cojones.
Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane & Sugarcane To us, Costello will always be the nasally voiced, wiry, bespectacled pub-rock hooligan from My Aim is True. But while he hasn’t duplicated a track on par with “Pump It Up” or even “Oliver’s Army,” Costello has been the model of consistency. Buoyed by his uncanny ability to write unforgettable vocal hooks, his latest albums, 2008’s Momofuku and 2009’s Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, are both solid additions to the contemporary pop canon, a testament to Costello’s longevity and jaw-dropping talent. At this point, it’s irrelevant if he’s performing with The Attractions, The Imposters, or guests on his television show, Spectacle. We’ll be listening.
Neil Young – Fork in the Road Cattle and grain might be considered Manitoba’s most notable exports, but we’d like to add one more to the list: Neil Young. Need proof? He has four multi-platinum, seven platinum, and a whopping ten gold albums to his name. And he’s not finished. His latest opus, the freshly minted Fork in the Road, finds him laying off the amphetamines and concentrating on… electric hybrids? You read that correctly: Fork targets gas guzzlers to the tune of his loudest, and most urgent, songs in recent memory.
Bob Dylan – Together Through Life We’ll be honest – Bob Dylan has made numerous missteps throughout his half-century-long catalogue. Going electric, the born-again period, and the entire decade of the 1980s weren’t always memorable, to say the least. However, his songwriting has been parabolic in quality and, true to the title of his 2000 award-winning single “Things Have Changed,” he’s gotten himself back on track. While not as risqué as he has been in the past, 2009’s Together Through Life has Dylan doing what he does best: irreverent, literate Americana. Thankfully.
New Singer, Old Songs
through these eyes songbird the very thought of you willow weep for me my romance days of wine and roses I love Paris 7) how high the moon 8) but beautiful 9) little girl blue 10) dinji 11) wee small hours/dream 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
(duet with mark masri)
12) 13)
moonlight in vt I'm glad there is you
t h ro u g h t h e s e eye s
KAR I NA ZORN
Karina Zorn – Through These Eyes While the lives of jazz legends are cut short as often as their rock counterparts, their songs live on to be reinterpreted by contemporary artists. An elegant, distinctive vocalist, Karina Zorn’s Through These Eyes is a soothing slice of jazz belying her age and era. Accompanied by celebrated performers such as Guido Bassel, Terry Clarke, and Mike Murley, Zorn’s debut proves that not only is she willing to play with the best, she’s more than worthy of their songs. www.karinazorn.com For an interview with Karina Zorn visit Sharpformen.com.
36 Sharp September 2009 sharpformen.com