Artist:     Tom Chapin

Album:     At the Turning Point

Label:     Sundance Music

Release Date:     5.15.18

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“I still hear that old-time music,” Tom Chapin nonchalantly sings in the early going of At the Turning Point, and he and his comrades spend a charmingly simple hour celebrating the fact that they’ve been making that sound together for thirty years. He’s self-effacing about his own roots as a folkie—”well, you know I’m not traditional / and I’ve never claimed to be”—but the best exhibit is the performance itself. This down-home set illustrates the traditional down-home spirit of folk in every note.

Befitting his several decades as a troubadour, Chapin’s songs sound practically made for cozy evenings around a fireplace. The titular New York-area club may not actually have one, but that kind of vibe was certainly there anyway for this show, helped along by the timing (recorded over the year’s-end holiday season) and a pair of dear friends on the stage. Jon Cobert and Michael Mark add keys and bass, respectively, taking judicious solos when called for and otherwise hanging back to let the simple songs breathe uncluttered. Touches of banjo, whistle and accordion are scattered around to add nicely understated dashes of Americana or gospel. You can’t fake the camaraderie of longtime mates who’ve been doing this together for ages; anyone can hear that they are and they have.

Chapin is up-front in his thoughtful musings on the nature of life, an approach that’s perfectly suited to his seasoned voice and aw-shucks delivery. The themes are spelled out as straightforwardly as the melodies themselves: there’s the weight of old stories and history, the importance of caring for loved ones, and the idea of hope and togetherness as an antidote to life’s big worries. It’s a series of world-weary and yet reassuring thoughts, though its best illustration comes in the spots when his three daughters step in to add a sweet layer of vocal harmony to the mix. Music may not make the world any less messed up, but good times with good friends and family always help make the best of it.

—Geno Thackara