Artist: Wayfaring Strangers
Album: Cosmic American Music
Label: Numero Group
Release Date: 03/18/2016
The first track on Cosmic American Music feels like an old soul. This is the music you would find on a record in your parents’ basement. It’s something you heard in the car on an eight-track. It’s wonderful.
The track, “Travelin’,” is actually performed by Jimmy Carter and Dallas Country Green, so the thought isn’t too far off. As a matter of fact, the whole album is inspired by Gram Parsons, who coined the term “cosmic American music” as a way to describe the style of music he played in the Byrds, the Flying Burritos Brothers and on his solo albums. This brand of music is a fuse of rock, country and soul.
Wayfaring Strangers/Cosmic American Music is a collection of songs recorded between 1968-1980, giving us a kick of nostalgia and proving that music like this can stand the test of time. This release is number six in the Numero Group’s series of “efforts of wandering folkies, lost troubadours, and purveyors of primal guitar.” Musicians on this album include Kenny Knight, Deerfield, Mistress Mary, Ethel-Ann Powell and Sandy Harless.
Listen in the dark, while on the road, or in a smokey barroom with a drink in hand. This is a must for any fan of Parsons’ unique brand.
-Brenda Hillegas
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