Dirt Farmer | Levon Helm | He's seen fire and he's seen pain

Dirt Farmer | Levon Helm | Roots Music at its best

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Dirt Farmer

	Dirt Farmer Levon Helm Vanguard Records, 2007 average customer review:based on 90 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer will be released
October 30 by Vanguard Records, his first solo, studio album in 25 years. The organic feel of the sessions hark back to his work with The Band and comes on the heels of a wave of attention for his Midnight Rambles, late night concerts held at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY.

It's a major landmark on a remarkable journey for Levon Helm. "The last few years have proven to me that we truly live in an age of miracles," writes Levon in the poignant liner notes. After arduous treatments for throat cancer that took away his singing voice and a fire that consumed over eighty percent of his recording studio, Helm was amazed to find both restored.

On Dirt Farmer, Helm's pays tribute to his family, singing traditional songs that he learned growing up in rural Arkansas. He also covers songs by Steve Earle and J.B. Lenoir; full of Dobros, mandolins and acoustic guitars, the album resonates deeply, honoring Levon's roots.

Multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, Solomon Burke) and Levon's daughter Amy, also a member of Ollabelle, produced and shepherded the project at "The Barn," Levon Helm Studios. Levon himself plays drums, mandolin, and acoustic guitar and provides all lead vocals.

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He's seen fire and he's seen pain

Throat cancer took his voice, fire took his recording studio and yet, Levon Helm is back strong. His voice doesn't sound quite the same as it did in days of The Band, but you can tell it's him. Most of this music came from his roots, traditionals he heard as a kid in Arkansas. His daughter Amy, one of the key players in folk-roots Ollabelle, plays and sings along with him in addtion to Larry Campbell, who can play just about every instrument--and has done so with many of the top acts, like Lyle Lovett.

He puts the troubles up front, "Dirt Farmer" talks about losing the farm with nothing but stone to grow. "False Hearted Lover Blues" is pretty self explanatory and "This Mountain" talks about the perils of coal mining.

"Wide River to Cross" sounds like his personal anthem. He's clearly humbled by his struggles and I think he's placed this song at the end of the collection not as a coda, but as an anthem to continue on.

Best of luck to Levon. May he continue to sing for many years go come.
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Roots Music at its best

This is my favorite album of the past two years. That 's saying alot because many fine albums have been pressed. However Levon Helm captures the soul of America and sings with a heartfelt passion very seldom heard. Bravo to Leon

Band drummer taps the roots rock vein

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Band's seminal first two albums "Music From Big Pink" and "The Band" as long as I can remember. What an eclectic combination of swing drumming, understated but STINGING blues/R&B guitar, roots instruments such as fiddles, mandolins, dobros etc coupled with keyboard playing that can't be nailed down stylistically. Add to this the harmonies of the multifaceted vocal line up and you have a recipe for some simply timeless music. I think the thing that most strikes me to this day is how 'dry' these albums are. There are little or no studio post production effects anywhere to be found. These guys simply sat in a room in a circle, played it and nailed it.

Fast forward...The Band broke up following a string of lackluster albums leading up to their farewell The Last Waltz, regrouped sans Robbie Robertson with mixed results, endured the death of Richard Manuel and finally came to a screeching halt with the death of Rick Danko in 1999. None of the subsequent activity of these musicians ever recaptured even a small fraction of the magic of The Band's first two enduring masterpieces...until now.

"Dirt Farmer" is Levon Helm's first solo album since recovering from throat cancer. There was some doubt as to whether he would regain his voice but ultimately his voice did return. It is noticeably throatier these days which suits the bleak folk music feel of this album beautifully. The blueprint for this album is some of Levon's favorite roots songs he heard growing up as the son of an Arkansas farmer mixed with some re-worked modern bleak folk masterpieces by such luminaries as Steve Earle and Paul Kennerly. Levon has clearly been influenced by these artists.

It is important to realize that Levon was the only American in The Band, and more importantly the only member with a genuinely rural upbringing. His experiences were real and his authenticity meshed with Robbie Robertson's outside looking in vision of this kind of life to produce the Band's most compelling work. It cannot be overstated how important Levon's ragged voice and swing drumming were to the overall sound of The Band. These attributes are part of what make "Dirt Farmer" so compelling. There is also the old timey folk harmonies of his daughter Amy and the richly evocative guitar work of long time Bob Dylan sideman Larry Johnson. The music is primal and raw yet evocative and heartfelt at the same time. There are lots of touches of bluegrass instrumentation-Levon himself plays acoustic guitar and mandolin throughout the album. The effect is a seamless blend of old and new that has a fully realized unified feel throughout. Steve Earle's "The Mountain" sounds eerily at home next to the traditional fare such as "False Hearted Lover Blues" and "Blind Child."

If you love great American music, do not miss "Dirt Farmer." This is a rebirth of a great artist that is compares favorably to Dylan's "Time out of Mind" for career impact.

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Welcome Back

Yes the voice is a bit ragged but it's great to hear new songs by Levon.
Some catchy tunes in Helm style.

4.5 Stars.... Outstanding album from Levon Helm

I saw Levon Helm at Bonnaroo a few weeks ago (more on that later) and that made me seek out his 2007 album. We are all aware of Helm's struggles, including recovering from throat cancer, so I couldn't wait to hear the album. And what a delight that turns out to be.

"Dirt Farmer" (13 tracks; 52 min.) brings Americana-music in its best form. Levon Helm takes lead vocals of course on the album, and switches from drums to acoustic guitar throughout the album. His daughter Amy Helm augments on backing vocals throughout, as well as paying drums and other instruments on a number of songs. My favorite tracks include "Poor Old Dirt Farmer", the delightful "Got Me A Woman", which is followed by "A Train Robbery", mostly Levon singing over an acoustic guitar. The song shows the limitations of Levon's vocals, but that just makes it only better and more authentic to me. Other great songs include "The Blind Child" and the closer "Wide Rivers to Cross", which brings it all home and summarizes the album perfectly. I can't emphasize enough what a delight this album has turned out to be for me, and I've been playing it non-stop. Levon himself adds great liner notes to the album (addressed as "Dear Friends").

Back to the Bonnaroo set: it was just fabulous. Levon, looking frail in frame but seemingly doing very well AND enjoying himself, switched from drums to acoustic guitar and mandolin throughout the set, as he did on the album. The set included many of the songs from "Dirt Farmer" but of course included a number of the Band's songs, culminating in the last song of the set, the inevitable "The Weight", bringing it with vigor. What a delight that set was, and one of the highlights for me of the entire Bonnaroo festival. Meanwhile, "Dirt Farmer" is HIGHLY recommended.

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