Guy Clark
Dublin Blues (Asylum) (star) (star) (star) 1/2
If you’re already a fan of Guy Clark’s folksy brand of musical storytelling, one more critical rave won’t add much to your desire to go out and grab this album. It’s just another slice of heaven on Earth . . . that’s all. For those unfamiliar with his engaging voice, gentle sense of humor and fine acoustic work, “Dublin Blues” is as good a place as any to begin the introductions. Clark is another one of those in-betweeners who are starting to be heard on alternative-country stations, mature artists who aren’t slick enough for Nashville, but are too country to be pop. Many of these populist voices have Texas accents and Clark’s title song here is a gem of Lone Star longing, with a distinct echo of Gary P. Nunn’s irresistible “London Homesick Blues .” From across the sea, he pines, “I wish I was in Austin/ummm/in the Chili Parlor Bar/drinking Mad Dog Margaritas/and not caring where you are.” That the other songs on the album are almost as good–notably “Black Diamond Strings” and “Stuff That Works”–is saying quite a lot.
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