(2021) Charlie Parr - Last of the Better Days Ahead


Review:
Charlie Parr was bought his first guitar, a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string, when he was around eight years old. With no one around to give him lessons, he was asked only that he promise never to quit. No pressure then. Starting his music career in Duluth, the home of one of the greatest songwriters of all time, did nothing to ease the potential burden, and this self-taught virtuoso has seemingly had no setbacks in recording some 20 albums (sources differ on the actual number). Therefore, one would assume that a change of label at this stage in his career would be taken firmly in his stride. The fact that said label just happens to be Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the non-profit record label of the world-renowned Smithsonian Institute, alters this premise not one jot. Last of the Better Days Ahead is an engrossing, captivating album from a tireless innovator. Indeed, this release marks something emphatically new in his illustrious career. That transformation is an intense focus on the word, with his poetic lyricism afforded the opportunity to shine as it takes prime position in front of the sparse and spartan music production, best explained by the man himself, “These songs feel more like poems to me than songs, and I’ve kind of let them have their way in that respect. The music serves these lyrics, rather than the other way around, which is the way I usually organize songs.” This collection of robust songs is Janus-like in its subject matter, both looking to the past, reflecting upon a life lived, but also forwards upon what is still to come. Explaining that some of the tracks originated from contemplations on specific aspects of brain activity, somewhat like the proverbial bus, in a year that also has seen a similar focus on cerebral activity from Charlie Dore on her latest Like Animals release, this is clearly an album of depth. Within the lyrics, the line between his drawing upon real-life characters and experiences and those that may have been primarily inspired by a fertile imagination may be a little blurred, but a geographical sense of place is very much to the fore. These are songs from the Minnesota paper mills, tales from the iron country and the fisheries. Primarily, Charlie on vocals, 12-string, resonator and baritone resonator guitars is what you get throughout, with Liz Draper contributing electric and upright bass to three tracks and guest appearances from Tasha Baron, keyboards and Chris Grey, drums on the album’s closing track Decoration Day. The closing track on the album, Decoration Day, is a gorgeous instrumental, a product of Parr’s side project, Portal iii. The title refers to the day that family graves were tended. At nigh-on 16 minutes, the atmospheric, spacey, psychedelic music, almost raga-like in terms of composition, evokes the landscapes and locations of these graves whilst also suggesting a return to child-like innocence. Experimental, innovative and at odds with the rest of the album, it certainly is, but it works. Last of the Better Days Ahead is an impressive release, with the blues-playing being of the highest virtuosic calibre. The experimental aspect afforded by the final track opens the way for potentially fascinating diversions and developments, signalling perhaps that, for Charlie, the last of our better days are indeed ahead. — folkradio.co.uk





Track Listing:
1.Last of the Better Days Ahead 03:11
2.Blues for Whitefish Lake, 1975 03:51
3.Walking Back from Willmar 04:18
4.Anaconda 03:46
5.Everyday Opus 08:04
6.On Fading Away 05:14
7.817 Oakland Avenue 04:19
8.On Listening to Robert Johnson 05:58
9.Bed of Wasps 03:44
10.Rain 06:07
11.Decoration Day 15:53


Media Report:
Genre: acoustic, blues, folk
Country: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits