J.D. Souther, Pure and Simple
The longtime country rocker mixed his classics with new material from his latest album, the first in 24 years.
(Slow Curve Records)
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Country rock vet J.D. Souther arrived at the Rams Head Tavern on Monday night without a band -- just two acoustic guitars and a sore throat.
As intimate as it was rough-hewn, much of the concert was akin to listening to a collection of unvarnished demo tapes. On the first night of an extensive tour, Souther felt his way through the performance, offhandedly mixing songs from his new CD, "If the World Was You," his first album in 24 years, with older tunes he's written or co-written, including a few hits recorded by the Eagles ("New Kid in Town") and Linda Ronstadt ("Faithless Love").
At one point, Souther said he was operating at about three-fourths speed, an assessment that seemed accurate enough during the first half of the performance, when the 63-year-old singer-songwriter struggled to reach high notes. It didn't help matters that his guitar work early on was often marred by buzzing strings. Yet it was clear that Souther's songcraft hasn't diminished over the years: The ballads he drew from his new album, even pared to voice and guitar, were sturdy enough to stand alongside some of his best-known tunes.
The longer Souther played, the better he sounded. A good thing, too, since he reserved some of his finest songs -- and some of the most vocally challenging ones -- for the latter part of the show. His soulful renderings of "You're Only Lonely" and "All I Want" more than justified the calls for an encore.
-- Mike Joyce
