music

Guy Clark

Somedays the Song Writes You

His latest might find veteran singer and songwriter Guy Clark adding decades-younger tunesmiths Ashley Monroe and Jedd Hughes to his reliable roster of collaborators, but Somedays the Song Writes You is hardly an attempt to artificially contemporize Guy’s likeably lived-in sound. The strong opening trio of songs all address the musical muse itself, and all hit the mark—especially the phantasmagorical story-song “The Guitar.” Somedays returns to that level only on its closer, “Maybe I Can Paint Over That,” which like those kickoff tunes seeks essential truths about life in the practice of creativity.

• November 2, 2009
• by Chris Neal