Jimmy LaFave
Trail (Bohemia Beat)
For countless music lovers, Texas singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave’s 1993 release “Austin Skyline” served as introduction to the roadhouse rocker with the tough-and-tender tenor, soulful way with Bob Dylan songs and some affecting, if uneven, original material. But even back then LaFave was no newcomer. “Trail,” a rough-edged, double-CD set, traces LaFave’s development through 31 (mostly) live, previously unreleased performances recorded between 1984 and 1998. LaFave covers a dozen Dylan songs in distinctive fashion, including “Positively Fourth Street,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” as well as songs by Bruce Springsteen, Joe Ely and Woody Guthrie; memorable originals include the evocative ballad “How It Must Remain,” an outtake from the “Austin Skyline” sessions.