Dave Alvin
Public Domain (Hightone)
Although Dave Alvin is best known as a songwriter, he’s decided for his latest album to record a collection of traditional folk songs — some so old as to be credited to the album’s title. But as one would expect from an artist with Alvin’s integrity and grit, this is not some campfire sing-a-long. He adapts each tune to his own way of doing things and covers the great range of American music: folk, country, blues, gospel, and even some jazz. That it’s all accomplished with the unquestionable passion and exceptional musicianship one has come to expect from Alvin and his band the Guilty Men makes it all the more attractive. Some of the songs on Public Domain are well-known: “Shenandoah,” “Walk Right In” (which he refers to as the “Louie, Louie” of folk), “What Did the Deep Sea Say” (popularized by Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie, and Austin’s own Damnations), and “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” for instance. Others, “The Murder of the Lawson Family,””Texas Rangers,” “Railroad Bill,” and “Sign of Judgment” are either impossibly obscure or drawn from arcane sources. Each is a glimpse into Alvin’s soul, a key to his influences as a songwriter and musician. Public Domain is a natural follow-up to his last two albums, which both tended to explore the folk side of his muse. It’s ample proof that in knowledgeable hands, folk music is alive and well in the 21st century.
This article appears in August 11 • 2000.