Jimmy Lafave
Cimarron Manifesto (Red House)
Employing Woody Guthrie’s arrow and Bob Dylan’s bow, Jimmy LaFave hits an Austin City Limits/KGSR bull’s-eye with the singer-songwriter’s seventh studio album, No. 2 for Minnesota’s Red House. Bittersweet/nostalgic songs pray and play around folk, rock, and country, proving the Austin strummer’s continued mettle as composer and performer (three covers join nine originals). Opener “Car Outside” may have been stolen from the Band’s vault, while extra meaning is pulled from the Texoma troubadour’s half-time take of Donovan’s “Catch the Wind.” Dylan’s “Not Dark Yet” hits as if recorded by the Minnesotan’s next of kin, and “Lucky Man” is a nothing less than a generational gem. Guest harmonies by Carrie Rodriguez, Kacy Crowley, and Ruthie Foster add delight. Some may find the ballads-to-rocker ratio a bit sleepy, but LaFave’s aim remains true.
This article appears in May 25 • 2007.