Spencer Moore
Reviews
mike
Reviewed 2007-12-26
Reviewed 2007-12-26
SPENCER MOORE - "s/t" CD (Tompkins Square)
Pure and honest folk / old-time / country singing from this 88 year old. Minimal, simple guitar and slightly off-key signing of songs mostly from the 20s and 30s. MOORE still plays and has been since the 40s/50s. It's just him and his guitar and a lot of the lyrics tell a story. I love the way his old voice sounds, scratchy and rough. A lot of the tracks sound the same but the difference is the story/lyrics. The liner notes are great.
1. Sounds like he's having trouble hitting the notes. A CHARLIE POOLE hit from 1925
2. Medium paced with a few screw ups. Funny
**3. I like this track for some reason. Simple and just asking for a place to sleep and explaining why he needs one. Also from POOLE and 1925.
**4. Spoken intro. Written by MOORE'S wife when their boy died.
**5. An original written about going off to WWII.
6. Rambles a bit.
7. Faster and sounds like its bluegrass influenced. Liner notes say it was a dance tune.
8. Lamenting.
9. Old old song which the liner notes claim was written in 1860 and later made popular in 1928 by the CARTER FAMILY.
**10. Another old song. Funny. He messes up the rhythm a bit.
**11. The song doesn't sound dark but the lyrics are. About a guy who murdered his six kids and wife on xmas day in 1929.
12. Instrumental
13. Another pre-1900 tune.
**14. Speedy with speed variations. He makes funny vocal noises. All about sheep. Fun.
Good stuff. -mph
Pure and honest folk / old-time / country singing from this 88 year old. Minimal, simple guitar and slightly off-key signing of songs mostly from the 20s and 30s. MOORE still plays and has been since the 40s/50s. It's just him and his guitar and a lot of the lyrics tell a story. I love the way his old voice sounds, scratchy and rough. A lot of the tracks sound the same but the difference is the story/lyrics. The liner notes are great.
1. Sounds like he's having trouble hitting the notes. A CHARLIE POOLE hit from 1925
2. Medium paced with a few screw ups. Funny
**3. I like this track for some reason. Simple and just asking for a place to sleep and explaining why he needs one. Also from POOLE and 1925.
**4. Spoken intro. Written by MOORE'S wife when their boy died.
**5. An original written about going off to WWII.
6. Rambles a bit.
7. Faster and sounds like its bluegrass influenced. Liner notes say it was a dance tune.
8. Lamenting.
9. Old old song which the liner notes claim was written in 1860 and later made popular in 1928 by the CARTER FAMILY.
**10. Another old song. Funny. He messes up the rhythm a bit.
**11. The song doesn't sound dark but the lyrics are. About a guy who murdered his six kids and wife on xmas day in 1929.
12. Instrumental
13. Another pre-1900 tune.
**14. Speedy with speed variations. He makes funny vocal noises. All about sheep. Fun.
Good stuff. -mph
Recent airplay
The Lawson Family Murders
Death Row Radio — May 21, 2009
Jimmy Sutton
Emphysema For Emphasis — Jan 14, 2008
The Lawson Family Murders
Baptism of Solitude — Jan 02, 2008
The Lawson Family Murders
Baptism of Solitude — Dec 26, 2007
Charting
2007-12-24 — 2008-02-25
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Jan 20 | 1 |
| Jan 6 | 1 |
| Dec 30 | 1 |
Track listing
| 1. | Don't Let Your Deal Go Down | ||
| 2. | Refro Valley Home | ||
| 3. | May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister | ||
| 4. | Our Baby Boy Is Gone | ||
| 5. | In The Year Of '41 | ||
| 6. | Three Little Babes | ||
| 7. | Cumberland Gap | ||
| 8. | Great Speckled Bird | ||
| 9. | Wildwood Flower | ||
| 10. | Burglar Man | ||
| 11. | The Lawson Family Murders | ||
| 12. | Little Betty Waltz | ||
| 13. | Little Rosewood Casket | ||
| 14. | Jimmy Sutton |