Crockett, Charley: Lonesome As A Shadow LP

Crockett doesn't shy away from sad songs on Lonesome as a Shadow -- indeed, the record kicks off with its saddest, "I Wanna Cry," a song written in tribute to his late sister -- but the effort is characterized by a playfulness, a mischievousness that surfaces in his elastic vocal phrasing and his insistence on tying together different strands of American music. Far from seeming sober and academic, Crockett's combination of country, soul, folk, and blues is bawdy and rangy, as likely to dive into a retro-rockabilly shuffle as it is to pine under the moonlight. The result is a delight, the rare Americana album that pays tribute to tradition by not treating it too seriously.