“I don't know how you go on with your sorrowsWeighing you down like a stone
But then I don't know how I can sit here and give you advice
Dying for home.”—J.D. Souther, “Go Ahead and Rain,” from the Home by Dawn LP (1984)
A prior post of mine discussed my admiration for a past hit song of country rock singer-songwriter J.D. Souther, “You’re Only Lonely.” That exquisite song, along with 10 others from his marvelous career, has been collected in the musician’s current release, Natural History.
The album this might best be compared with is Jimmy Webb’s 1996 release Ten Easy Pieces, another re-recording of a famed singer-songwriter’s greatest hits (often composed for others), with spare instrumentation and beautiful restraint exercised by producer Fred Mollin. In this case, however, Souther’s voice, practically made for classic crooning, possesses a distinct advantage over that of the composer of “Wichita Lineman” and “MacArthur Park.”
It's wonderful to hear Souther revisit tunes made famous originally by The Eagles (“New Kid in Town,” “Best of My Love,” and especially “The Sad Café,” a long goodbye to the idealism of the Sixties). But for me, the real revelation was “Go Ahead and Rain.” Souther and Mollin did well to lead off the CD with this song that balances searing sorrow and tentative hope.
I expect I’ll be playing this CD repeatedly, and for a long, long time.
