I like but don’t love Chuck Prophet. He’s one of many deep-voiced guitar-playing singer-songwriters with obvious talent, and I like many of his songs, but I haven’t found his albums captivating the whole way through. But this latest project, a cover of an entire Waylon Jennings album, I was incredibly curious. There’s a long tradition of rockers covering country tunes, and at least one hip hop superstar covered a country tune and then never turned back (Kid Rock, of course), and most of these covers don’t work. The artists seem reluctant or unable to insert anything new into the song. There are many exceptions to this rule, of course. And Prophet, who cut the album in just 48 hours, is one of them.
His take on “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way†turns the straight-ahead country rocker into a six-plus-minute swirling epic, a truly novel reading of the tune. He adds funk to “Waymore’s Blues;†a Counting Crows alt-country feel to “The Cowboys (Sing
the Blues)†(lead vox by Stephanie Finch); and electronica(!) to “The Door Is Open.â€
The album was a limited release, but it looks like the CD is now available on Amazon and emusic. Or, if you don’t wanna support the artist, Chuck’s giving the damn thing away! Here’s each track:
1. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
2. Waymore’s Blues
3. I Recall a Gypsy Woman
4. High Time (You Quit Your Low Down Ways)
5. I’ve Been a Long Time Leaving (I’ll Be a Long Time Gone)
6. Let’s All Help The Cowboys (Sing The Blues)
7. The Door Is Always Open
8. Let’s Turn Back The Years
9. She’s Looking Good
10. Dreaming My Dreams With You
11. Bob Wills Is Still The King
