As Trish Klein’s banjo joins Samantha Parton’s guitar, Frazey Ford rasps at the microphone like an empty whiskey shot glass, smashing to the dingy wood floor below. “Tear the pages from the family Bible / It came down to the woman for survival.” A Collection showcases the crossover virtuosity of the power folk trio Be Good Tanyas, with alt-country tracks seamlessly living alongside original material, highlighted by “Only in the Past,” traditional tunes like “Oh Susanna,” and classic rock covers including Neil Young’s “For the Turnstiles.” It’s modern music as might be inspired by an old hobo soul. “Promise me we won’t go into nightclubs / I feel so f**ked up when I’m in there,” Morton sings. “I really think that’s it’s obscene / What kind of people go to meet people / Where they can’t be heard or seen?”
(Originally appeared in The Valley Advocate.)
