Tributes to Harlan Howard from Willie Nelson, The Tender Things
Having some 73 albums to one’s credit is certainly something to crow about and that is exactly where Willie Nelson is at in his lengthy career with his newest album called, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love. About to celebrate his 90th birthday which occurs on April 29, the much loved troubadour on this latest album salutes one of the country songwriter greats in the late Harlan Howard. Coming from Nelson who is no slouch himself as a songwriter having written classic after classic, it’s pretty high praise. Howard’s catalogue is well worth such adulation as Nelson, sounding as good as ever, trots out 10 tunes in his typical quality style. Joining the new Nelson album in the Ear Bliss spotlight and at the same time keeping it a Texas-themed this week, is the new album from the Austin-based band The Tender Things. That Texas Touch is the group’s third album and is a record that while deeply mired in a country kind of thing takes the listener on a twang journey that is at times rocking, funky, and soulful and just may be one of the best albums from beginning to end Ear Bliss has heard so far in 2023. Let’s get to it.
Willie Nelson
I Don’t Know a Thing About Love
Legacy Recordings
What with a recording career that has already seen him release entire full albums devoted to the songs of tunesmith legends from Kris Kristofferson and George Gershwin to Ray Price and Cindy Walker, the tribute album concept is nothing new to the Red-Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson. On his latest album called I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, Nelson goes the tribute route once more saluting the late and legendary American songwriter Harlan Howard. Whereas that name may not ring familiar to most, his songs most certainly will. Renowned in country music circles as arguably the industry’s greatest songwriter, Howard wrote a truckful of classics during his run and was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also the one who famously coined the phrase “three chords and the truth” to describe a country song. Who better than Nelson who came up in Nashville as a songwriting contemporary of Howard on Music Row and beyond. The friendship between the two went back to 1960 and it was Howard who got Nelson his first publishing deal in Nashville for his own Pamper Music. For I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, Nelson performs 10 of Howard’s most endearing classics and does so in his usual seasoned fashion with accompnaiment by the cream of the crop of Nashville studio musicians. The songs include such Howard classics as made famous by the likes of Ray Charles (“Busted”), Buck Owens (both “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail” and “Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got A Heartache)”), and Bobby Bare (“The Streets of Baltimore”). Produced by Nelson’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, while Willie isn’t breaking any new ground, revisiting songs such as these in his inimitable voice and style makes for a most welcomed collection. Visit www.legacyrecordings.com.
The Tender Things That Texas Touch Spaceflight Records
The late and legendary Doug Sahm of Sir Douglas Quintet fame titled one of his 1970s solo albums “Texas Rock for Country Rollers.” That description is pretty appropriate for the sounds kicked out by the Austin, Texas-based band The Tender Things on the band’s recently released third album titled That Texas Touch. Country-styled rock and funk like something out of the trippy-hippy ‘70s Austin outlaw country era, with hints of rusticity ala The Band, is the quick and dirty on the album. Described as a “‘headneck’ country rock band that are sympathetic to the history of the kind of country groovers that the Texas capitol has known through the decades,” the band was founded in 2018 by Jesse Ebaugh who up until that time was best known as the pedal steel guitarist for the alt rock band Heartless Bastards. With The Tender Things, Ebaugh has created a band with a sound that would’ve fit in right fine in the era of Austin’s legendary circa-70s Armadillo World Headquarters where the likes of Willie Nelson, the aforementioned Sir Douglas Quintet, and Jerry Jeff Walker & The Lost Gonzo Band all regularly held court, not to mention the outlaws of the day like Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. The Tender Things on the eight tracks comprising That Texas Touch let the cosmic country freak flag fly on an album with songs (all Ebaugh originals) and a sound that’s very easy to warm up to. From the throwback strands of “I Can Love” and the title track which bookend each other to open the album to the contemporary twang rock of “My Condition” and “For the Money” to the swanky honky tonk motif of “Carousel” which pays homage to Bob Wills’ legendary Texas Playboys band to the straightup hard country soul ballad “In the Beginning” which closes That Texas Touch, this finely-tuned band lays down a country groove that just won’t quit. Highly recommended. Visit www.thetenderthings.com.
LIVE SHOTS:
It’s mid-March and St. Patrick’s weekend is upon us, not to mention Spring! Here’s a look at a bunch of recommended live music coming up in the area over the next week or so. Get in the St. Patty’s spirit at The Ocean Mist in Matunuck on Friday night when Steve O’Smith & The Nakeds take the stage for your listening and dancing pleasure. The following evening, Saturday, Rhode Island Music Hall of Famer members The Schemers are in the house. The big weekend at The Mist closes with Sunday Funday featuring the Take It to the Bridge Trio starting at 4 pm.
Pump House Music Works in Peace Dale (164 Kingstown Road) has a Grateful Dead doubleheader on Friday evening with Mystic Dead headlining and Mystik Fools opening. Joe Parillo & The New Ensemble play jazz at the Pump House on Saturday night and before the Kaitlyn Tarro Band performs an early evening show on Sunday with The Berger Boys opening. Don’t forget that every Monday night is the Uke jam at the Pump House while Tuesdays are Ole Time jam night and Wednesdays are Lounge night hosted by Matt Fraza. At The Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich, it is the legendary Richard Thompson in a solo acoustic performance on Friday night. ‘90s hitmakers Soul Asylum go acoustic at The Odeum on Saturday night and coming up next Thursday evening is Fleetwood Mac tribute act Rumours. Tribute act Pink Talking Phish attack the catalogues of Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish on March 25. The Courthouse Center for the Arts is West Kingston presents CCR tribute Sweet Hitchhiker is at the Courthouse on March 18 on Saturday night. Elvis tribute artist Robert Black is at The Courthouse on March 23. At the Narragansett Café in Jamestown, it’s the
Take It to the Bridge Trio on Friday night. The big band Brass Force is at The Ganny on Saturday night before Pat Halpin & the 351s play roots rock and more on Sunday afternoon starting at 1 pm. The Charlestown Rathskeller features traditional Irish music performed by the Wells Farm Band in the Tavern from 12:303:30 pm on Friday afternoon. Later in the evening, the Whiskey Rhode Show performs starting at 9 pm. At the Knickerbocker Music Center (35 Railroad Ave) in
Westerly, it’s a big show on Friday night with The Felice Brothers making their debut at The Knick. Saturday night features The Hoolios with special guest Jim Carpenter & Southern Fiction. To the North, Chan’s Restaurant in Woonsocket presents Allman Brothers tribute Peacheaters on Friday evening and the Fat City Band on Saturday night with each show starting at 8 pm. At the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and more will be alive on Saturday night with acclaimed acoustic trio Open the Door for Three. In Pawtucket at The Met Café, The Voice
Season 17 runner-up Ricky Duran performs on Friday night. Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos are at The Met on Saturday night with Senseless Optimism opening. In Providence, Cape Verde artist Du Marthaz performs at The Strand on Saturday night. Ska prevails at Askew on Chestnut Street in Providence on Saturday night with both The Copacetics and The Hempsteadys on the bill. Every Monday it’s Meatball Mondays and Open Mic with Adam Newell. In the East Bay, the Newport Live music series resumes on March 23 with a performance by acclaimed singer/ songwriter Mark Erelli at the Jamestown Art Center. Coming up at Jane Pickens Event Center in Newport is revered singer/songwriter Dar Williams on March 24. Finally, The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River presents Neil Young tribute Forever Young on Saturday night. Revered singer/songwriter James McMurtry is there on March 24.
(Dan Ferguson is a freelance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3.)