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John Prine & Mac Wiseman
Standard Songs for Average People
(Oh Boy)
Douglas Heselgrave's #8 album for 2007
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2007, Volume 14, #6
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Standard Songs for Average People, John Prine and Mac Wiseman’s new
album of American country classics, is one of the most unexpected musical
surprises of the year, so far. A celebration and reinterpretation of
lesser-known vintage material, the set exudes a spirit that is similar to the
collaborations between Jerry Garcia and David Grisman during the ’90s, though
the emphasis here is on natural delivery and perfectly relaxed vocals rather
than stellar musicianship.
While Standard Songs for Average People sounds like two old friends
performing material that they have sung together for years, it was only recently
that legendary Nashville producer Cowboy Jack Clement introduced Prine and
Wiseman to each other. In Clement’s estimation, the two men are kindred spirits,
and they are so closely aligned in how they approach a song that it is a natural
step for them to attempt a collaboration. Prine apparently liked the idea, but
his schedule of touring the world to sold-out houses in support of Fair &
Square, his Grammy-winning outing from 2005, delayed the duo’s progress for
more than a year. When Prine and Wiseman eventually spoke on the phone, they
agreed to write down separate lists of songs that they wanted to record, and
they were surprised to find an overlap of seven tunes that they wanted to
tackle.
Standard Songs for Average People is Prine’s second excursion into
reinterpreting classic American material. The first — 1999’s In Spite of
Ourselves — was an inspired series of country duets recorded with female
artists such as Iris Dement and Lucinda Williams. While that endeavor featured
bizarre covers that focused on dysfunctional relationships and weird male-female
psychodramas, Standard Songs for Average People offers a selection of
tracks that is more familiar to the country music-loving everyman. Artists such
as Tom T. Hall and Lefty Frizell might not be household names outside of country
music circles, and they are, perhaps, suggestive of the ‘redneck’ side of
American roots music that often scares away rock fans. However, when Prine and
Wiseman sing these tunes, a refreshing warmth and humanity flows through every
note and vocal inflection.
The most impressive thing about Standard Songs for Average People is
how comfortable and unforced the whole proceeding sounds. When the pair got
together to record at The Butcher Shoppe in Nashville,
producer David Ferguson set up the studio so that Prine and Wiseman were able to
sit across from each other at an old dining room table. The music that results
from this arrangement is brimming with confidence, and it is so unhurried that
it is hard to remember that Prine and Wiseman had never met before the album was
committed to tape. From start to finish, the collection feels more like a
fly-on-the-wall document of an impromptu meeting of dear, old friends than a
date that was arranged by a musical matchmaker.
Consequently, it’s not easy to pick a highlight from amongst Standard
Songs for Average People’s contents. Suffice it to say that old, Nashville
staples such as I Forgot to Remember to Forget and Blue-Eyed Elaine
have never sounded as good as they do here. With this collection, Prine and
Wiseman have achieved the kind of Zen purity and simplicity in their delivery
that many good singers strive their whole lives to capture but never quite are
able to reach. While neither Prine nor Wiseman could be considered a Caruso or a
Pavarotti, the absolute clarity of purpose and absence of ego in their singing
allows the material to flow through both men, seemingly without their having
made any effort. Each vocalist is so utterly confident in his abilities and
understanding of the music that there is no stretching, showboating, or
over-emoting anywhere. Prine and Wiseman are so perfectly attuned to each other
that sometimes when they shift leads, it is almost impossible to notice the
change. Rather than being a criticism, their relaxed delivery and intuitive
comprehension of the songs is something to envy.
Tastefully supported by some of Nashville’s best session musicians —
including The Grand Ole Opry’s Carol Lee Singers, who provide backing vocals
throughout the set — Standard Songs for Average People sounds as if it
could have been recorded at any time within the last 50 years. Neither the
material nor the approach utilized by Prine and Wiseman is about to cut a swath
through popular music or start a new sonic revolution. Standard Songs for
Average people is content to be what it is: a wonderfully warm collection of
classic tracks by two singers who, with nothing to prove, appear to be having
the time of their lives performing them. 
Standard Songs for Average People is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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