Zeno Dreamed is the title of the brand new solo CD by Weenie member Bruce Nemerov. For those of you who don't know Bruce, he's a singer, guitarist and folklorist from Rutherford County, Tennessee. He's also a Grammy winning writer, record producer and theatrical music director, as well as a cast member in the show
Riders Radio Theater, starring
Riders in the Sky. When you see him perform, as I did last year in Edinburgh, expect a grand tour of the roots of American music. Not to be buttonholed to a particular style, he's a master of many, from blues to rags to gospel to Souza marches. The opening track,
The Battle of Waterloo March and Rag, is an instrumental with a distinctly celtic feel to it. This then gives way to
Irish Hands, a bittersweet tribute to the Irish labourers indentured to teach dry stone wall building skills to slaves in the deep South.
General Rutherford's Waltz celebrates the flawed memory of its eponymous anti-hero, a hellraising, heavy drinking military man of Scots descent who stole Cherokee land, was honoured by George Washington, and who eventually bought property in Tennessee and bestowed his name on the county where Bruce now lives.
The Hustling Gambler successfully postulates what might have happened had Dock Boggs and Blind Willie Johnson ever encountered one another, whilst
Deist's Blues, played on a particularly fine, deep, throaty 12 string, presents a challenge to Southern Bible Belt religion in the same way, and with the same impact, that Washington Phillips'
Denomination Blues once did.
Cannon County Rag bounces the listener along dry, dusty, country roads before ending, with a jazzy smile on its face, at its final destination.
The Dreadful Wind and Rain is as good a version as you'll hear of the Child Ballad
The Twa Sisters, an ancient murder ballad with Scandinavian, as well as Scottish antecedents. Bruce's voice, as elsewhere, has a lonesome quality that particularly suits this song. Lonesome not in the same sense that my voice is lonesome (when I sing, everybody leaves the room), but lonesome in the sense of wistful, plaintiff, downright
Southern.
Auld Greensleeves and Old Black Joe juxtaposes two fine instrumentals, whilst
This Little Light recalls and refreshes the popular early 20th century children's gospel tune. The CD winds up with two live performance tracks,
Amazing Grace and
Kentucky Blues ? the former a solo bottleneck version, the latter featuring the fine dobro picking of Ellsworth Ed Dye. Overall verdict: exceptionally fine picking and singing from someone who can really communicate his complex musical DNA. I love this CD and think you might too. It's on Spring Fed Records and will shortly be available to buy online here:
http://www.artscenterofcc.com/spring-fed.html
