In 2009, Steve Earle honored his mentor, the late Townes Van Zandt, with a tribute record filled exclusively with Van Zandt tunes. Last month, the alt.country singer-songwriter returned with his
This one’s for her, whatever the hell her name was,” Steve Earle said with a laugh, before he broke into “Now She’s Gone,” off 1996’s I Feel Alright. It was that kind of night for Earle—a chance to look back, but not dwell on any kind of regret.
Five albums into her career as a singer-songwriter, Allison Moorer wasn’t sure what to do when number six came-a-callin’. The final decision—an attempt at a cover album, one that focused solely on female singer-songwriters. The result is Mockingbird, which is pure magic.
Cover records seem to be catching on these days–just take a look at what Cat Power is doing. But for Allison Moorer, her new album, Mockingbird, is a little different. It features one original song written by Moorer (the title track), and 11 covers–all of which were written by female singer-songwriters. It’s an organized and beautiful project to honor the voices that have shaped Moorer’s career, and it delivers with seductive and passionate visions.
This is Moorer
