The Best of No Depression
Edited by Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden
University of Texas Press, 288 pp., $19.95 (paper)
There was a time not so long ago when Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Gillian Welch, and Alejandro Escovedo looked like they would toil forever in obscurity. So before we take aim at No Depression‘s founding editors Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden for their missteps, let us raise a foamy draught to their efforts, many of which have been anthologized in this volume. Published in conjunction with the magazine’s 10th anniversary, Best includes portraits of not just Williams and Wilco, but also Loretta Lynn, Johnny and Roseanne Cash, Kasey Chambers, and Ryan Adams, to name a few. At their best, these profiles serve as reminders of the fecundity of the millennial roots music. Unfortunately, while the book would make an excellent introduction for neophytes, the mostly middling prose doesn’t quite live up to its subjects. The writers focus too much on industry politics, but not enough on what makes this music really great. Critical touchstones such as Dylan’s Nashville Skyline or comparisons to the Beatles serve as shorthand for meaningful consideration, but, given that No Depression has been a labor of love, why not talk a little more about the passion?
This article appears in October 7 • 2005.