Since debuting in 1981 with the humble Iowa Waltz on what was, at the time, his own Red House imprint, Greg Brown has forged a singular career based on tireless touring, a seemingly bottomless sack of earthy tunes exploring simple concerns with regional-specific overtones, and inimitable, glass-rattling baritone pipes.
The label was sold in the mid-'80s to Twin Cities native Bob Feldman, and while Brown and his sixteen albums continue to anchor the Red House catalogue, it has become a dependable haven for -- and indicator of -- quality folk-based music.
As the world swirls into a vortex of cell phones, Palm Pilots and regimented calendars, Brown's ability to address seemingly complex issues with an assuringly matter-of-fact, muscular and masculine approach has escalated his unique attraction.
That said, Going Driftless is an endlessly delightful revelation. The fourteen-song, nearly hour-long set corrals interpretations of some of the Eastern Iowan's rustic expositions by an impressive array of female Americana/roots singers. As it turns out, the lighter, distaff vocal touch reveals an appealing, er, feminine side to this modern-day Nick Adams.
From Lucinda Williams' opening, heart-rending "Lately" to Leandra Peak's lovely closer "Wash My Eyes", the disc recasts the songwriter's pearls in shimmering new settings. In between, Ani DiFranco, Iris DeMent, Ferron, Gillian Welch, Lucy Kaplansky, Shawn Covin, Victoria Williams, Karen Savoca, and Brown's daughters (Pieta, Zoe and Constie) twist and turn Brown's gems and offer them to new, reflected light.
It's all sweet, passionate and understated, but perhaps Mary Chapin Carpenter's silky take on "Spring & All" brings it all home: Greg Brown may be a rugged, outdoorsy type, but he's a pussycat at heart.
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