Yellowhead to Yellowstone - CD Review
I've been listening to Ian Tyson's latest release, Yellowhead to Yellowstone. It's been a long trail for the 75 year old Mr. Tyson, from the young man who heard Bob Dylan perform Blowin in the Wind and decided he could do better than that - and came up with his first songwriting effort, Four Strong Winds.
I recall driving across the country in the early 80s. When I reached Alberta it seemed I heard selections from Tyson's fantastic Old Corrals and Sagebrush recording on every station. Tyson had reinvented himself as a cowboy songster, and a great one. Somebody told me he had moved back to Alberta and was raising cutting horses. I had no idea.
Fans of Ian Tyson will be surprised, maybe even shocked to hear him sing the first cut on the new album, Yellowhead to Yellowstone. Throughout the album, the rich, deep, resonant confident voice we all know has been replaced by a voice much more vulnerable, horse and raspy. The songs themselves are compelling and well-crafted. They're mature songs, tender and reflective.
On the five fish anchovy rating scale, I give this one a barrel of salties, aged in wine.
3 comments:
Thank you for the heads up - and super information at that!!!! I will look for the CD.....this one will bring back memories
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I am definitely a Tyson fan and am so touched by his new recording. Plan on seing him in Elko in January.
We're all Tyson fans here, so I'll have to keep this in mind for my Dad's b-day.
LOL about how Dylan inspired Tyson! He DID do a LOT better than Dylan in my opinion!
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